Iff-  d 


ALUMNI  LIBRARY,  * 

THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,    | 


70— J 


/ 


^o  S- 


/ 


UTILITY   .iATZ)  LMPORTAJVCE    OF   CREEDS  AXD 
COJ\TESSIOjYS  : 

AN 

INTRODUCTORY    LECTURE, 

BELITEBED 

AT   THE    OPENING    OP    THE    SUMMER    SESSION 

OF    THE 
OF     THE 

PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH,    PRINCETON, 

JULY    2,    1824. 

BY    SAMUEL   MILLER,    D.  D. 

Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Government  in  the 
said  Seminary. 


"  IN    NECESSARIIS    UNITAS,    IN    NON    NECESSARIIS    LIBERTAS, 
IV    OMNIBUS    CHARITAS."  AUGUSTIN. 


PRIirCETOir,   IT.  J. 

I'lUNTED  AXD   PLDLISIIED  IIY  D.  A.  BORREXSTEIX  ; 

AND   FOR   SALE 

UY    A.  TTINLEY,    PHILADELPHIA  J    EDWARD  J.  COALE,    BALTIMOHK 

JOHN    P.    HAVEN,    NEW-YORK  ;    AND   BY   D.   FENTON, 

TRENTON,    N.   J. 

1 S24. 


REV.   AND   DEAR   SIR, 

M  a  meeting  of  the  Students  of  the  Theological 
Seminary,  held  this  afternoon,  it  tvas,  on  motion,  unani- 
mously 

"  RESOLVED, 

<«  That  a  Committee  he  appointed  to  request 
of  Dr.  Miller  a  copy  of  his  introductory  lecture  upon 
CREEDS  AND  CONFESSIONS,  delivered  this  morning,  for  pub- 
lication.'^^ 

In  making  this  request,  the  Students  would  not 
ivish  to  he  considered  as  expressing  any  opinion  upon  the 
merits  of  the  general  question ;  hut  as  influenced  solely  by 
the  desire  that  the  whole  subject  may  come  fairly  before  the 
public. 

JVith  sentiments  of  high  esteem. 

We  remain 

Respectfully  yonrs^ 


EBENR.  MASOX,  ") 
DANL,  A.  PEMCK,  V 
HUGH  CALDWELL,  J 


e: 

danl,  a.  pemck,   v  committee: 

II 


l^rinieton,      '} 
July '2,  1824.5 


llcv.  Dr.  Miller. 


AN 


INTR0DUCT0R7    LECTURE, 

&c. 


BELOVED    CANDIDATES    FOR    THE    HOLY    MINISTRY, 

The  character  and  situation  of  one  who  is  pre- 
paring for  the  Sacred  Office,  are  interesting  bejond 
the  power  of  language  to  express.  Such  an  one,  like 
the  Master  whom  he  professes  to  love  and  serve, 
is  "  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of  many  in  Is- 
rael." In  all  that  he  is,  and  in  all  that  he  does,  the 
temporal  and  eternal  welfare,  not  only  of  him- 
self, but  of  thousands  may  be  involved.  On  every 
side  he  is  beset  with  perils.  Whatever  may  be  his 
talents  and  learning,  if  he  have  not  genuine  piety, 
he  will  probably  be  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing  to 
the  Church.  But  this  is  not  the  only  danger  to 
which  he  is  exposed.  He  may  have  unfeigned 
piety,  as  well  as  talents  and  learning ;  and  yet, 
from  habitual  indiscretion ;  from  a  defect  in  that 
sobriety  of  mind,  which  is  so  precious  to  all  men, 
but  especially  to  every  one  who  occupies  a  public 
station;  from  a  fondness  for  novelty  and  innovation, 
or  from  that  love  of  distinction  which  is  so  nat- 
ural to  men;— after  all,  instead  of  edifying  the  "body 
of  Christ,"  he  may  become  a  disturber  of  its  peace, 


and  a  corrupter  of  its  purity;  so  that  we  might 
almost  say,  whatever  may  be  the  result  with  respect 
to  himself, — "it  had  been  good  for  the  church  if 
he  had  never  been  born." 

Hence  it  is,  that  every  part  of  the  character  of  him 
who  is  coming  forward  to  the  holy  ministry  ;  his 
opinions  ;  his  temper  ;  his  attainments ;  his  infirmi- 
ties; and  above  all,  his  character  as  a  practical  christ- 
ian ; — are  of  inestimable  importance  to  the  ecclesi- 
astical community  of  which  he  is  destined  to  be  a 
minister.  Nothing  that  pertains  to  him  is  uninte- 
resting. If  it  were  possible  for  him,  strictly  speaking, 
to  "live  to  himself,"  or  to  "die  to  himself,"  the  case 
would  be  different.  But  it  is  not  possible.  His  de- 
fects as  well  as  his  excellencies  ;  his  gifts  and  graces, 
as  w^ell  as  the  weak  points  of  his  character,  must  and 
will  all  have  their  appropriate  effect  on  every  thing 
that  he  touches.  Can  you  wonder,  then,  that,  em- 
ployed to  conduct  the  education  of  candidates  for 
this  high  and  holy  office,  we  feel  ourselves  placed 
under  a  solemn,  nay,  an  awful  responsibility?  Can 
j^ou  woniler  that,  having  advanced  a  little  before 
you  in  our  experience  in  relation  to  this  office,  we 
cherish  the 'deepest  solicitude  at  every  step  you 
take?  Can  you  wonder,  that  we  daily  exhort  you 
to  "take  heed  to  yourselves  and  your  doctrine;" 
and  that  we  cease  not  to  entreat  you,  and  to  pray 
for  you,  that  you  give  all  diligence  to  approve  your- 
selves to  God  and  his  church  able  and  faithful  ser- 
vants? Independently  of  all  official  obligation,  did 
we  not  feel  aijd  act  thus,  we  should  manifest  an 
insensibility    to  tl>e    interests   of    the   church,    as 


W€ll  as  to  your  true  welfare,  equally  inexcusable 
and  degrading. 

It  is  in  consequence  of  this  deep  solicitude  for 
your  improvement  in  every  kind  of  njinisterial  fur- 
niture, that  we  not  only  endeavour  to  conduct 
the  regular  course  of  your  instruction  in  such  a 
manner  as  we  think  best  adapted  to  promote  the 
great  end  of  all  your  studies;  but  that  we  also 
seize  the  opportunity  which  the  general  Lecture, 
introductory  to  each  session  affords  us,  of  calling 
your  attention  to  a  series  of  subjects,  which  do  not 
fall  within  the  ordinary  course  of  our  instruction. 

A  subject  of  this  nature  will  engage  our  atten- 
tion on  the  present  occasion :  namely,  the  import- 
ance OF  Creeds  and  Confessions  for  maintain- 
ing     THE     UNITY      AND     PURITY     OF     THE      VISIBLE 

Church. 

This  is  a  subject,  which,  though  it  properly  be- 
longs to  the  department  of  Church  Government,  has 
always  been,  for  want  of  time,  omitted  in  the  Lec- 
tures, usually  delivered  on  that  division  of  our  stu- 
dies. And  I  am  induced  now  to  call  your  attention 
to  it,  because,  as  I  said,  it  properly  belongs  to  the 
department  committed  to  me ;  because  it  is  in  itself 
a  subject  highly  interesting  and  important;  because 
it  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  past,  and  still  is,  the 
object  of  much  severe  animadversion,  on  the  part 
of  latitudinarians  and  heretics;  and  because,  though 
abundantly  justified  by  reason,  scripture,  and  univer- 
sal experience,  the  spontaneous  feelings  of  many, 
especially  under  the  free  government,  which  it  is 
our  happiness  to  enjoy,  rise  up  in  arms  against  what 


i 


8 

they  deem,  and  are  sometimes  pleased  to  call,  the 
excessive  '"'rigour'''  and  even  ^^tyrannif\  of  exacting 
subscription  to  Articles  of  faith. 

It  is  my  design,  ^/\s^,  to  offer  some  remarks  on 

the  UTILITY  AND   IMPORTANCE  OF  WRITTEN  CrEEDS  ; 

and  secondly,  to  obviate  some  of  the  more  common 
and  plausible  Objections  which  have  been  urged 
against  them  by  their  adversaries. 
;  I.  By  a  Creed,  or  Confession  of  Faith,  I 
mean,  an  exhibition,  in  human  language,  of  those 
great  doctrines  which  are  believed  by  the  framers  of 
it  to  be  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures;  and  which 
are  drawn  out  in  regular  order,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  how  far  those  who  wish  to  unite  in 
church  fellowship  are  really  agreed  in  the  fund- 
amental principles  of  Christianity.  Creeds  and 
Confessions  do  not  claim  to  be  in  themselves  laivs 
of  Christ's  house,  or  legislative  enactments,  by  which 
any  set  of  opinions  are  constituted  truths,  and  which 
require,  on  that  account,  to  be  received  as  truths 
among;  the  members  of  his  family.  They  only  pro- 
fess to  be  summaries,  extracted  from  the  Scriptures, 
of  a  few  of  those  great  gospel  doctrines,  which 
are  taught  by  Christ  himself;  and  which  those  who 
make  the  summary  in  each  particular  case,  concur  in 
deeming  important,  and  agree  to  make  the  test  of  their 
religious  union.  They  have  no  idea  that,  in  forming 
this  summary,  they  make  any  thing  truth  that  was 
not  truth  before ;  or  that  they  thereby  contract  an 
obligation  to  believe,  what  they  were  not  bound  by 
the  authority  of  Christ  to  believe  before.  But 
they  simply  consider  it  as  a  list  of  the  leading  truths 


which  the  Bible  teaches,  which  of  course,  all  men 
ought  to  believe,  because  the  Bible  does  teach  them  ; 
and  which  a  certain  portion  of  the  visible  church  ca- 
tholic agree  in  considering  as  a  formula  by  means 
of  which  they  may  know  and  understand  one  an- 
other. 

Now  I  affirm,  that  the  adoption^'^uch  a  Creed 
is  not  only  lawful  and  expedient,  but  also  indispen- 
sably necessary  to  the  harmony  and  purity  of  the 
visible  church.  For  the  establishment  of  this  po- 
sition, let  me  request  your  attention  to  the  follow- 
ing considerations. 

1.  Without  a  Creed  explicitly  adopted,  it  is 
not  easy  to  see  how  the  ministeeis  and  members 

OF  ANY  PARTICULAR  CHURCH  AND  MORE  ESPECIALLY 
A  LARGE  DENOMINATION  OF  CHRISTAINS,  CAN  MAIN- 
TAIN UNITY  AMONG  THEMSELVES. 

If  every  christian  were  a  mere  insulated  individ- 
ual, who  inquired,  felt  and  acted  for  himself  alone, 
no  Creed  of  human  formation  would  be  necessary  for 
his  advancement  in  knowledge,  comfort  or  holiness. 
With  the  Bible  in  his  closet,  and  with  his  eyes  opened 
to  see  the  "  wondrous  things"  which  it  contains,  he 
would  have  all  that  was  needful  for  his  edification. 
But  the  case  is  far  otherwise.  The  church  is  a  so- 
ciety;  a  society  which,  however  extended,  is  "one 
body  in  Christ,"  and  all  who  compose  it,  "mem- 
bers one  of  another."  Nor  is  this  society  merely 
required  to  be  one  in  name,  or  to  recognize  a  mere 
theoretical  union ;  but  also  carefully  to  maintain 
"the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace." 
They  are  exhorted  to  "stand  fast  in  one  spirit  with 


10 

one  mind."  They  are  commanded  all  to  "  speak 
the  same  thing,"  and  to  be  "  of  one  accord,  of  one 
mind."  And  this  "  unity  of  spirit"  is  as  essential 
to  the  comfort  and  edification  of  those  who  are 
joined  together  in  church-fellowship,  as  it  is  to  a 
compliance  with  the  command  of  their  Master. 
"How  can  •au^  walk  together  unless  they  be 
agreed?"  Can  a  body  of  worshippers,  composed  of 
Calvinists,  Arminians,  Pelagians,  Arians,  and  So- 
cinians,  all  pray,  and  preach,  and  commune  together 
profitably  and  comfortably,  each  retaining  the  senti- 
ments, feelings,  and  language  appropriate  to  his  de- 
nomination? This  would  be  indeed  to  make  the  house 
of  God  a  miserable  Babel.  What !  can  those  who 
believe  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  be  God,  equal 
wath  the  Father,  and  worship  him  accordingly; 
— and  those  who  consider  all  such  worship  as 
abominable  idolatry: — Those  who  cordially  re- 
nounce all  dependence  on  their  own  works  or 
merit  for  justification  before  God,  relying  entirely 
on  his  rich  grace,  "  through  the  redemption  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus;" — and  those  who  pronounce 
all  such  reliance  fanatical,  and  man's  own  righteous- 
ness the  sole  ground  of  hope : — Can  persons  who 
cherish  these  irreconcilably  opposite  sentiments  and 
feelings  on  the  most  important  of  all  subjects,  unite 
with  edification  in  the  same  prayers,  listen  from 
sabbath  to  sabbath  to  the  same  instructions,  and 
sit  together  in  comfort  at  the  same  sacramental 
table?  As  well  might  Jews  and  christians  wor- 
ship together  in  the  same  temple.  They  must 
either  be  perfectly  indifferent  to  the  great  subjects 


11 

on  which  they  are  thus  divided,  or  all  their  inter- 
course must  be  productive  of  jarring  and  distress. 
Such  a  discordant  assembly  might  talk  about  church- 
fellowship  ;  but  that  they  should  really  enjoy  that 
fellowship,  which  the  Bible  describes  as  so  precious, 
and  which  the  pious  so  much  delight  to  cultivate, 
is  impossible  ; — -just  as  impossible  as  that  "  right- 
eousness should  have  fellowship  with  unrighteous- 
ness," or  "light  hold  communion  with  darkness,  or  /^ 
Christ  maintain  concord  with  Belial."  / 

Holding  these  things  to  be  self-evident,  how,  '^- 
I  ask,  is  any  church  to  guard  itself  from  that  baleful 
discord,  that  perpetual  strife  of  feeling,  if  not  of 
words  and  conduct,  which  must  ensue,  when  it  is 
made  up  of  such  heterogeneous  materials?  Nay, 
how  is  a  church  to  avoid  the  guilt  of  harbouring 
in  its  bosom,  and  of  countenancing  by  its  fellowship 
the  worst  heresies  that  ever  disgraced  the  christian 
name  ?  It  is  not  enough  for  attaining  this  object,  that 
all  who  are  admitted  profess  to  agree  in  receiving 
the  Bible;  for  many  who  call  themselves  christians, 
and  profess  to  take  the  Bible  for  their  guide,  hold 
opinions,  and  speak  a  language  as  foreign,  nay 
as  opposite,  to  the  opinions  and  language  of  many 
others,  who  equally  claim  to  be  christians,  and  equal- 
ly profess  to  receive  the  Bible,  as  the  east  is  to 
the  west.  Of  those  who  agree  in  this  general  profes- 
sion, the  greater  part  acknowledge  as  of  divine 
authority,  the  whole  sacred  canon,  as  we  jiow  re- 
receive  it;  while  others  w^ould  throw  out  whole 
chapters,  and  some  a  number  of  entire  books 
4xQm  the  volume  of  God's  revealed  will.     The  Or- 


,y 


,  12 

// 

thodox  maintain  the  plenary  inspiration  of  the 
scriptures;  while  some  who  insist  that  they  are 
christians,  deny  their  insj)iration  altogether.  In 
short,  thefe  are  multitudes  who,  professing  to  believe 
the  Bible,  and  to  take  it  for  their  guide,  reject  every 
fundamental  doctrine  which  it  contains.  So  it  was 
in  the  beginning  as  well  as  now.  An  inspired 
Apostle  declares,  that  some  in  Ihis  day,  who  not 
only  professed  to  believe  the  scriptures,  but  even 
to  "  preach  Christ,"  did  really  preach  "  another 
gospel,"  the  teachers  of  which  he  charges  those 
to  whom  he  wrote  to  hold  "  accursed ;"  and  he 
assures  them  that  there  are  some  "  heresies"  so 
deep  and  radical  that  they  are  to  be  accounted 
"damnable."  Surely  those  who  maintain  the  true 
gospel,  cannot  "  walk  together"  in  "  church  fel- 
lowship" with  those  who  are  "  accursed"  for  preach- 
ing "  another  gospel,"  and  who  espouse  "  damn- 
able heresies,"  the  advocates  of  which  the  disciples 
of  Christ  are  not  permitted  even  to  "  receive  into 
their  houses,"  or  to  "bid  God  speed!"  How, 
then,  I  ask  again,  are  the  members  of  a  Church, 
to  take  care  that  they  be,  according  to"  the  divine 
command,  "  of  one  mind,"  and  "  of  one  way  ?" 
They  may  require  all  who  enter  their  communion 
to  profess  a  belief  in  the  Bible  ;  nay  they  may  re- 
quire this  profession  to  be  repeated  every  day,  and 
yet  may  be  corrupted  and  divided  by  every  form  of 
the  grossest  error.  Such  a  profession,  it  is  manifest, 
ascertains  no  agreement;  is  a  bond  of  no  real  union  ; 
a  pledge  of  no  spiritual  fellowship.  It  leaves  every 
thing  within  the  range  of  nominal   Christianity,  ag 


13 

perfectly  undefined,  and  as  much  exposed  to  total 
discord  as  before. 

But  perhaps  it  will  be  proposed  as  a  more  ef- 
ficient remedy,  that  there  be  a  private  understand- 
ing, vigilantly  acted  upon,  that  no  ministers  or  mem- 
bers be  admitted,  but  those  who  are  known,  by 
private  conversation  with  them,  substantially  to  agree 
with  the  original  body,  with  regard  both  to  doctrine 
and  order.  In  this  way,  some  allege,  discord  may 
be  banished,  and  a  church  kept  pure  and  peaceful, 
without  an  odious  array  of  Creeds  and  Confessions. 
To  this  proposal,  I  answer,  in  the  first  place,  it  is 
to  all  intents  and  purposes,  exhibiting  a  Creed,  and 
requiring  subscription  to  it,  while  the  contrary  is 
insinuated  and  professed.  It  is  making  use  of  a 
religious  test,  in  the  most  rigourous  manner,  with- 
out having  the  honesty  or  the  manliness  to  avow  it. 
For  what  matter  is  it,  as  to  the  real  spirit  of  the 
proceeding,  whether  the  Creed  be  reduced  to  writ- 
ing, or  be  registered  only  in  the  minds  of  the  church 
members,  and  applied  by  them  as  a  body,  if  it 
equally  exclude   applicants  who  are  not  approved  ? 

But  to  this  proposed  remedy,  I  answer,  in  the 

second  place,  the  question,  what  is  soundness  in  the 
faith  ,^^  however  explicitly  agreed  upon  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  among  themselves,  cannot  be 
safely  left  to  the  understanding  and  recollection  of 
each  individual  belonging  to  the  body  in  question. 
As  well  might  the  civil  Constitution  of  a  State, 
instead  of  being  committed  to  writing,  be  left  to  the 
vague  and  ever  varying  impressions  of  the  individual  // 
citizens  who  live  under  it.     In  such  a  Constitution,  ^■' 


14 

every  one  sees,  there  could  be  neither  certainty  nor 
stability.  Scarcely  any  two  retailers  of  its  articles 
would  perfectly  agree ;  and  the  same  persons  would 
expound  it  differently  at  different  times,  as  their 
interests  or  their  passions  might  happen  to  bear 
sway.  Quite  as  unreasonable,  and  unsafe,  to  say 
the  least,  would  it  be  to  leave  the  instrument  of  a 
church's  fellowship  on  a  similar  footing.  Such  a 
nuncupative  Creed,  when  most  needed  as  a  means 
of  quieting  disturbances,  or  of  excluding  corruption, 
would  be  rendered  doubtful,  and,  of  course,  useless, 
by  having  its  most  important  provisions  called  in 
question  on  every  side.  A  case  in  which,  if  it  were 
^nade  operative  at  all,  it  would  be  far  more  likely  to 
be  perverted  into  an  instrument  of  popular  oppres- 
sion, than  to  be  employed  as  a  means  of  sober  and 
wholesome  government. 

The  inference,  then,  plainly  is,  that  no  church 
can  hope  to  maintain  a  homogeneous  character; — •. 
no  church  can  be  secure  either  of  purity  or  peace, 
for  a  single  year ; — nay,  no  church  can  effectually 
guard  against  the  highest  degrees  of  corruption  and 
strife,  without  some  test  of  truth,  explicitly  agreed 
upon,  and  adopted  by  her,  in  her  ecclesiastical  ca- 
pacity: something  recorded;  something  publicly 
known  ;  something  capable  of  being  referred  to  when 
most  needed  ;  which  not  merely  this  or  that  private 
member  supposes  to  have  been  received  ;  but  to 
which  the  church  as  such  has  agreed  to  adhere,  as 
'4  bond  of  union.  In  other  words,  a  church,  in 
order  to  maintain  "the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
\  bond  of  peace  and  love,"  must  have  a  Creed — a 


15 

WRITTEN  Creed — to  which  she  has  formally  given 
her  assent,  and  to  a  conformity  to  which  her  minis- 
trations are  pledged.  As  long  as  such  a  test  is  faith- 
fully applied,  she  cannot  fail  of  being  in  some  good 
degree  united  and  harmonious ;  and  when  nothing 
of  the  kind  is  employed,  I  see  not  how  she  can  be  ex- 
pected, without  a  miracle,  to  escape  all  the  evils  ot 
discord  and  corruption. 

2.  The  necessity  and  importance  of  Creeds  and 
Confessions  appear  from  the  consideration,  that  one 
great  design  of  establishing  a  church  in  our  world 
was,  that  she  might  be  in  all  ages,  a  depository, 

A    GUARDIAN,    AND    A    WITNESS    OF    THE    TRUTH. 

Christians,  collectively  as  well  as  individually, 
are  represented  in  Scripture  as  witnesses  for 
God  among  men.  They  are  commanded  to  main- 
tain his  truth,  and  to  "  hold  forth  the  word  of  life," 
in  all  its  purity  and  lustre  before  a  perverse  genera- 
tion, that  others  may  be  enlightened  and  converted. 
They  are  exhorted  to  "  buy  the  truth,  and  not  to  sell 
it;" — to  "contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints;" — to  "hold  fast  the  form  of 
sound  words  which  they  have  received ;" — and  to 
"strive  together  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel."  These, 
and  many  oAer  commands,  of  similar  import,  plainly 
make  it  the  duty  of  every  christian  church  to  de- 
tect and  expose  prevailing  heresies  ;  to  exclude  all 
such  as  embrace  radical  heresy  from  their  com- 
munion ;  and  to  "lift  up  a  standard"  for  truth, 
whenever   "  the  enemy  comes  in  like  a  flood." 

But  does  not  all  this  imply  taking  effectual  mea- 
sures to  distinguish  between  truth  and  error?    Does 


16 

not  all  this  necessarily  infer  the  duty  of  drawings 
and  publicly  manifesting^  a  line  between  those  who, 
while  they  profess,  in  general,  to  believe  the  Bible, 
really  deny  all  its  essential  doctrines;  and  those  who 
simply  and  humbly  receive  "  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus  ?"  But  how  is  this  distinction  to  be  made,  see- 
ing those  who  deny,  as  well  as  those  who  embrace 
the  essential  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  equally  profess 
to  receive  the  Bible  ?  It  can  only  be  done  by  care- 
fully ascertaining  and  explicitly  declaring  how  the 
church  herself,  and  how  those  whom  she  suspects 
of  being  in  error,  understand  and  interpret  the  Bible  ; 
that  is,  by  extracting  certain  articles  of  faith  from 
the  Scriptures,  according  to  her  understanding  of 
them,  and  comparing  with  these  articles  the  profess- 
ed belief  of  those  whom  she  supposes  to  be  heretics. 
And  what  is  this  but  extracting  from  the  Scriptures 
a  Confession  of  faith — a  Creed,  and  applying  it 
as  a  test  of  sound  principles  ?  It  does  really  appear 
to  me  that  those  orthodox  brethren,  who  admit  that 
the  church  is  bound  to  raise  her  voice  against  error, 
and  to  "  contend  earnestly"  for  the  truth  ;  and  yet 
denounce  Creeds  and  Confessions,  are,  in  the  high- 
est degree  inconsistent  with  themselves.  They  ac- 
knowledge the  obligation  and  importance  of  a  great 
duty ;  and  yet  reject  the  only  means  by  which  it 
can  be  performed.  Quite  as  unreasonable,  I  am 
constrained  to  say,  as  the  "  task-masters"  of  Egypt, 
they  require  work  to  be  done,  without  allowing  the 
materials  necessary  to  its  accomplishment.  Before 
the  church,  as  such,  can  detect  heretics,  and  cast 
them  out  from  her  bosom  :  before  she  can  raise  her 


17  \ 

voice,  in  "a  day  of  rebuke  and  of  blasphemy,*' 
against  prevailing  errors,  her  governors  and  mem- 
bers must  be  agreed  what  is  truth ;  and,  unless  they 
would  give  themselves  up,  in  their  official  judg- 
ments, to  all  the  caprice  and  feverish  effervescence 
of  occasional  feeling,  they  must  have  some  accre- 
dited, permanent  document,  exhibiting  what  they 
have  agreed  to  consider  as  truthi  There  is  really 
no  feasible  alternative.  They  must  either  have 
such  "a  form  of  sound  words,"  which  they  have 
voluntarily  adopted,  and  pledged  themsel^s  to  one 
another  to  "hold  fast;"  or  they  can  have  no  security 
that  any  two  or  more  successive  decisions  concerning 
soundness  in  the  faith  will  be  alike.  In  other  words, 
they  cannot  attain,  in  any  thing  like  a  steady,  uni- 
form, consistent  manner,  one  of  the  great  purposes 
for  which  the  visible  church  was  established. 

It  surely  will  not  be  said,  by  any  considerate 
person,  that  the  church,  or  any  of  her  individual 
members,  can  sufficiently  fulfil  the  duty  in  question, 
by  simply  proclaiming,  from  time  to  time,  in  the 
midst  of  surrounding  error,  her  adherence  and  her 
attachment  to  the  Bible.  Every  one  must  see  that 
this  would  be,  in  fact,  doing  nothing  as  "witness- 
es of  the  truth  ;"  because  it  would  be  doing  nothing 
jyeculiar ;  nothing  distinguishing ;  nothing  which 
every  heretic  in  Christendom  is  not  ready  to  do,  or 
rather  is  not  daily  doing,  as  loudly,  and  as  frequently 
as  the  most  orthodox  church.  The  very"  idea  of 
*'  bearing  testimony  to  the  truth,"  and  of  separat- 
ing from  those  who  are  so  corrupt  that  christian 
communion  cannot  be  maintained  with  them,  neces- 


18 

sarily  implies  some  public  discriminating  act,  i»i. 
which  the  church  agrees  upoti,  and  expresses  her 
belief  in,  the  great  doctrines  of  Christianity,  in  con- 
tradistinction from  those  who  believe  erroneously. 
Now  to  suppose  that  any  thing  of  this  kind  can  be 
accomplished,  by  making  a  profession,  the  very 
same,  in  every  respect,  with  that  which  the  worst 
heretics  make,  is  too  palpably  absurd  to  satisfy  any 
sober  inquirer. 

Of  what  value,  let  me  ask,  had  the  Waldenses 
and  Albigenses  been,  as  witnesses  of  the  truth 
— as  LIGHTS  IN  THK  WORLD,  amidst  the  darkness 
of  surrounding  corruption ; — especially  of  what  va- 
lue had  they  been  to  the  church  in  succeeding  times, 
and  to  us  at  the  present  day  ;  if  they  had  not  form- 
ed, and  transmitted  to  posterity  those  celebrated 
Confessions  of  Faith,  as  precious  as  they  are 
memorable,  w^hich  we  read  in  their  history,  and 
which  stand  as  so  many  monumental  testimonies  to 
the  true  "  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  ?"  Without 
THESE,  how  should  we  ever  have  known  in  what 
manner  they  interpreted  the  Bible ;  or  wherein  they 
differed  from  the  grossest  heretics,  who  lived  at  the 
same  time,  and  professed  to  receive  the  same  Bible  r 
Without  these,  how  should  we  ever  have  seen  so 
clearly  and  satisfactorily  as  we  do,  that  they  main- 
tained the  truth  aad  the  order  of  Christ's  house, 
amidst  all  the  wasting  desolations  of  the  "man  of 
sin  ;"  and  thus  fulfilled  his  promise,  that  there  shall 
always  be  "a  seed  to  serve  him,  who  shall  be  ac* 
counted  to  the  Lord  for  a  generation  ?" 

3.  The  adoption  and  publication  of  a  Creed,  is 


19 


A  TRIBUTE  TO  TRUTH  AND  CANDOUR,  which  every 
christian  church  owes  to  the  other  churches, 

AND  TO  THE  WORLD  AROUND  HER. 

Every  wise  man  will  wish  to  be  united  in  reli- 
gious duty  and  privilege,  with  those  who  most 
nearly  agree  with  himself  in  their  views  of  doctrine 
and  order ;  with  those  in  intercourse  with  whom  he 
can  be  most  happy,  and  best  edified.  Of  course,  he 
will  be  desirous,  before  he  joins  any  church,  toknoio 
something  of  its  faith,  government,  and  general  cha- 
racter. I  will  suppose  a  pious  and  ingenuous  imii- 
vidual  about  to  form  his  religious  connections  for 
life.  He  looks  round  on  the  churches  to  which  he 
has  most  access,  and  is  desirous  of  deciding  with 
which  of  them  he  can  be  most  comfortable.  I  will 
suppose  that,  in  this  survey,  he  turns  his  eyes  to- 
wards the  trul}"  scriptural  and  primitive  church  to 
which  it  is  our  happiness  to  belong.  He  is  anxious 
to  know  the  doctrine  as  well  as  the  order  which  he 
may  expect  to  find  in  connection  with  our  body. 
How  is  he  to  know  this?  Certainly  not  by  going 
from  church  to  church  throughout  our  whole  bounds, 
and  learning  the  creed  of  every  individual  minister 
from  his  own  lips.  This  would  be  physically  im- 
possible, without  bestowing  on  the  task  a  degree  of 
time  and  toil,  which  scarcely  any  man  could  afford. 
He  could  not  actually  hear  for  himself  the  doctrines 
taught  in  a  twentieth  part  of  our  pulpits.  And  if  he 
could,  he  would  still  be  unable  to  decide,  from  this 
source  alone,  how  far  what  he  heard  might  be  re- 
garded as  the  uniform  and  universal,  and  especially 
as  the  permanent  character  of  the  church  ;  and  not 


20 

rather  as  an  accidental  exhibition.  But  when  such 
an  inquirer  finds  that  we  have  a  published  creed, 
declaring  how  we  understand  the  scriptures,  and 
explicitly  stating  in  detail  the  great  truths  which  we 
have  agreed  to  unite  in  maintaining  ;  he  can  ascertain 
in  a  few  hours,  and  without  leaving  his  own  dwel- 
ling, what  we  profess  to  believe  and  to  practice,  and 
how  far  he  may  hope  to  be  at  home  in  our  commu- 
nion. And  while  he  is  enabled  thus  to  understand 
the  system  to  which  ive  profess  to  adhere,  he  ena- 
bles us  to  understand  his  views,  by  ascertaining  how 
far  they  accord  with  our  published  creed. 

Further ;  what  is  thus  due  to  ingenuous  indi- 
viduals, who  wish  to  know  the  real  character  of 
our  church,  is  also  due  to  neighbouring  church- 
es, who  may  have  no  less  desire  to  ascertain  the 
principles  which  we  embrace.  It  is  delightful  for 
ecclesiastical  communities,  who  approach  near  to 
each  other  in  faith  and  order,  to  manifest  their 
affection  for  one  another,  by  cherishing  some  de- 
gree of  christian  intercourse.  But  what  church, 
which  valued  the  preservation  of  its  own  purity  and 
peace,  would  venture  on  such  intercourse  with  a 
body  which  had  no  defined  system,  either  of  doc- 
trine or  government,  to  which  it  stood  pledged;  and 
which  might,  therefore,  prove  a  source  of  pollution 
and  disorder  to  every  other  church  with  which  it 
had  the  smallest  interchansje  of  services  ?  One  of 
the  ministers  of  such  a  denomination,  when  invited 
into  the  pulpit  of  an  orthodox  brother,  might  give 
entire  satisfaction ;  while  the  very  next  to  whom  a 
similar  mark  of  christian  affection  and  confidence 


21 

was  shown,  might  preach  the  most  corrupt  heresy. 
Creeds  and  Confessions,  then,  so  far  from  having  a 
tendency  to  "alienate"  and  "embitter"  those  christ- 
ian denominations,  which  think  nearly  alike,  and 
ought  to  maintain  fraternal  intercourse;  really  tend 
to  make  them  acquainted  with  each  other ;  to  lay 
a  foundation  for  regular  and  cordial  intercourse;  to 
beget  mutual  confidence  ;  and  thus  to  promote  the 
harmony  of  the  church  of  God. 

I  scruple  not,  therefore,  to  affirm,  that,  as  every 
individual  minister  owes  to  all  around  him  a  frank 
avowal  of  his  cliristian  faith,  when  any  desire  to 
know  it ;  so  every  church  owes  it  to  her  sister 
churches,  to  be  equally  frank  and  explicit  in  publicly 
declaring  her  principles.  She,  no  doubt,  believes 
those  principles  to  be  purely  scriptural.  In  publicly 
avowing  them,  therefore,  she  performs  the  double 
duty  of  bearing  testimony  to  the  truth,  and  of  en- 
deavouring to  draw  from  less  pure  denominations, 
and  from  the  surrounding  world,  new  support  to 
what  she  conscientiously  believes  to  be  more  correct 
sentiments  than  theirs.  She  may  be  erroneous  in 
this  estimate  ;  but  still  she  does  what  she  can,  and 
what  she  unfeignedly  believes  to  be  right;  and  what, 
of  course,  as  long  as  this  conviction  continues,  she 
is  bound  to  perform.  And  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
further  maintaining,  that,  in  all  ages,  those  christian 
churches  which  have  been  most  honourably  distin- 
guished for  their  piety,  their  zeal,  and  their  adher- 
ence to  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel,  have  been,  not 
only  most  remarkable  for  their  care  in  forming,  but 
also  for  their  frankness  in  avowing,  their  doctrinal 

D 


22 

creed  ;  and  their  disposition  to  let  all  around  them 
distinctly  understjuid  what  they  professed  to  regard 
as  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  our  holy  religion. 

4.  Another  argument  in  favour  of  Creeds  pub- 
licly  adopted  and  maintained,   is  that  they  are 

FKIENDLY  TO  THE  STUDY  OF  CHRISTlAiN  DOCTRINE, 
AND  OF  COURSE,  TO  THE  PREVALENCE  OF  CHRIST-- 
IAN    KNOWLEDGE. 

It  is  the  general  principle  of  the  enemies  of 
Creeds,  that  all  who  profess  to  believe  the  Bible, 
ought,  without  further  inquiry,  to  unite;  to  maintain 
ecclesiastical  communion  5  and  to  live  together  in 
peace.  But  is  it  not  manifest,  that  the  only  way  in 
which  those  who  essentially  differ  from  each  other 
concerning  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  gos- 
pel, can  live  together  in  perfectly  harmonious  eccle- 
siastical fellowship,  is  by  becoming  indifferent  to 
truth  ;  in  other  words,  by  becoming  persuaded  that 
modes  of  faith  are  of  little  or  no  practical  import- 
ance to  the  church,  and  are,  therefore,  not  worth 
contending  for ;  that  clear  and  discriminating  views 
of  christian  doctrine  are  wholly  unnecessary,  and  of 
little  use  in  the  formation  of  christian  character  ? 
But  in  proportion  as  professing  christians  are  indif- 
ferent to  truth,  will  they  not  be  apt  to  neglect  the 
study  of  it  ?  And  if  the  study  of  it  be  generally 
neglected,  will  not  gross  and  deplorable  ignorance 
of  it  eventually  and  generally  prevail  ?  The  fact  is, 
when  men  love  gospel  truth  well  enough  to  study 
it  with  care,  they  will  soon  learn  to  estimate  its  va- 
lue ;  and  when  they  learn  to  estimate  its  value,  they 
will  soon  be  disposed  to  "  contend  for  it,- '  against 


23 

its  enemies,  who  are  numerous  in  every  age;  and 
this  will  inevitably  lead  them  to  adopt  and  defend 
that  "  form  of  sound  words"  which  they  think  they 
find  in  the  sacred  scriptures.  On  the  other  hand,  let 
any  man  imbibe  the  notion  that  Creeds  and  Confes- 
sions are  unscriptuial,  and  of  course  unlawful^  and 
he  will  naturally  and  speedily  pass  to  the  conclusion, 
that  all  contending  for  doctrines  is  useless,  and  even 
criminal.  From  this  the  transition  is  easy  to  the 
abandonment  of  the  study  of  doctrine,  or,  at  least, 
the  zealous  aud  diligent  study  of  it.  Thus  it  is, 
that  laying  aside  all  Creeds,  naturally  tends  to  make 
professing  christians  indifferent  to  the  study  of  christ- 
ian truth  ;  comparatively  uninterested  in  the  attain- 
ment of  religious  knowledge ;  and,  finally,  regard- 
less, and  of  course,  ignorant  of  "  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints." 

I  would  by  no  means,  indeed,  be  understood  to 
assert,  that  no  heretics  have  ever  been  zealous  in 
publishing  and  defending  their  corrupt  opinions. 
The  pages  of  ecclesiastical  history  abundantly  show, 
that  many  of  the  advocates  of  error,  both  in  ancient 
and  modern  times,  have  contended  not  only  pertina- 
ciously, but  even  fiercely,  for  their  peculiar  doc- 
trines. But  my  position  is,  that  the  enemies  of  all 
Creeds  and  Confessions  usually  assume  a  principle, 
which,  if  carried  out  to  its  legitimate  consequences, 
would  discourage  all  zeal  in  maintaining  the  peculiar 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel ;  that  if  all  zeal  in  maintain- 
ing peculiar  doctrines  were  laid  aside,  all  ardour  and 
diligence  in  studying  them  would  be  likely  to  be  laid 
aside  also ;  and  that,  if  this  were  the  case,  a  state  of 


2^4. 

things,  more  unfriendly  to  the  growth  and  prevalence 
of  christian  knowledge  could  scarcely  be  imagined. 
J^ook  at  the  loose,  vague,  undecisive  character  of 
the  preaching  heard  in  nine  tenths  of  the  Unitarian, 
and  other  latitudinarian  pulpits  in  the  United  States, 
and  as  I  suppose,  throughout  Christendom.  If  the  oc- 
cupants of  those  pulpits  had  it  for  their  distinct  and 
main  object  to  render  their  hearers  indifferent  about 
understanding,  and,  of  course,  indifferent  about  stu- 
dying, the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  they 
could  scarcely  adopt  a  plan  more  directly  calculated 
to  attain  their  end,  than  that  which  they  actually 
pursue,  'Their  incessant  cry  is,  "matters  of  ojnnion 
are  between  God,  and  a  man's  own  conscience. 
No  one  else  has  a  right  to  meddle  with  them." 
Hence,  in  pursuance  of  this  maxim,  they  do,  indeed, 
take  care  to  meddle  very  little  with  the  distinguish- 
ing doctrines  of  the  gospel.  We  conjecture  what 
their  doctrinal  o))inions  are,  in  general,  not  so  much 
from  what  they  say,  as  from  wliat  they  do  not  say* 
And  the  truth  is,  that  if  this  character  of  preaching 
was  to  become  universal,  all  discriminating  views  of 
gospel-truth  would,  in  thirty  years,  be  banished 
from  the  church. 

If  the  friends  of  orthodoxy  and  piety,  then, 
really  desire  to  cherish  and  maintain  a  love  for  the 
discriminating  study  of  christian  doctrine;  a  taste 
for  religious  knowledge;  a  spirit  of  zeal  for  the 
truth,  in  opposition  to  that  miserable  indifference 
to  articles  of  faith,  which  is  so  replete  with  mis- 
chief to  every  christian  community  in  which  it 
is  found  ; — rtlien  let  theifi  be  careful  to  present,  and 


25 

diligently  to  keep  before  the  eyes  of  one  another, 
and  the  eye  of  the  public,  that  "  good  confession" 
vviiich  they  are  commanded  to  "profess  before 
many  witnesses."  If  they  fail  to  do  this;  if,  un- 
der the  guise  of  adherence  to  that  great  Protestant 
maxim,  that  the  Bible  is  the  only  imfallible  rule 
of  faith  and  manners, — (a  precious  all-important 
truth,  which,  properly  understood,  cannot  be  too 
often  repeated) — they  speak  and  act  as  if  all  who 
profess  to  receive  the  Bible  were  standing  upon 
equally  solid  and  safe  ground;  if,  in  a  word, 
they  consider  it  as  unnecessary,  and  even  crimi- 
nal, to  select  from  the  mass  of  scriptural  truth,  and. 
to  defend,  as  such,  the  fundamental  doctrines  of 
the  gospel ; — then,  nothing  short  of  miracle  can 
prevent  them  from  sinking  into  that  coldness  and 
sloth  with  respect  to  the  study  of  doctrine,  and 
finally  into  that  deplorable  "  lack  of  knowledge"  by 
which  millions  are  constantly  "  destroyed." 

5.  It  is  an  argument  of  no  small  weight  in 
favour  of  Creeds,  that  the  experience  of  all  ages 

HAS  FOUND  THEM  INDISPENSABLY  NECESSARY. 

Even  in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  when  all  their 
inspiration  and  all  their  miraculous  powers,  were 
insufficient  to  deter  heretics  from  spreading  their 
poison ; — men,  calling  themselves  christians,  and 
professing  to  preach  the  religion  of  Christ,  pervert- 
ed his  truth,  and  brought  "another  gospel,"  which 
He  had  not  taught.  In  this  exigency,  how  did  the 
churches  proceed  ?  An  inspired  apostle  directed  them 
not  to  be  contented  with  a  general  profession  of  be- 
lief in  the  religion  of  Christ  on  the  part  of  those  who 


.26 

came  to  them  as  christian  teachers ;  but  to  examine 
and  try  them,  and  to  ascertain  whether  their  teach- 
ing were  agreeable  to  the  "  form  of  sound  words'* 
which  they  had  been  taught  by  him :  and  he  adds 
with  awful  solemnity — "  If  any  man  bring  any 
other  gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye  have  received, 
let  him  be  accursed"  Here  was,  in  effect,  an 
instance,  and  that  by  Divine  warrant,  of  employing 
a  Creed  as  a  test  of  orthodoxy:  that  is,  men 
making  a  general  profession  of  Christianity,  are 
expressly  directed  by  an    inspired    apostle,  to    be 

BROUGHT  TO  THE  TEST,  in  WHAT  SENSE  THEY  UN- 
DERSTOOD THAT  GOSPEL,  of  which  in  general  terms, 
they  declared  their  reception;  and  how  they  ex- 
plained its  leading  doctrines.  It  would  seem,  in- 
deed, that  the  Confession  of  Faith  then  required 
was  very  short  and  simple.  This,  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  times,  and  the  no  less  peculiar 
administration  of  the  church,  rendered  entirely 
sufficient.  Still,  whether  the  Confession  were 
long  or  short ;  whether  it  consisted  of  three  articles 
or  of  thirty,  the  principle   was  the  same. 

In  the  second  century,  in  the  writings  of  Irenceus; 
and  in  the  third,  in  the  writings  of  Teriidlian,  Ori- 
gen,  Cyprian,  Gregory  Thaumaturgus,  and  Lucian, 
the  martyr,  we  find  a  number  of  Creeds  and  Con- 
fessions, more  formally  drawn  out,  more  minute, 
and  more  extensive  than  those  of  earlier  date.  They 
were  intended  to  bear  testimony  against  the  various 
forms  of  error  which  had  arisen  ;  and  plainly  show 
that,  as  the  arts  and  corruptions  of  heretics  in- 
"^      creased,  the  orthodox  church  found  more  attention 


27 

to  the  adoption  and  maintenance  of  these  formula- 
ries indispensably  necessary. 

In  the  fourth  century,  when  the  church  was  still 
more  agitated  by  the  prevalence  of  heresy,  there  was 
a  still  louder  demand  for  accredited  tests,  by  which 
the  heretics  were  to  be  tried  and  detected.  Of  this 
demand  there  never  was  a  more  striking  instance 
than  in  the  Council  of  Nice,  when  the  heresy  of 
Arius  was  under  the  consideration  of  that  far-famed 
assembly.  When  the  Council  entered  on  the  exa- 
mination of  the  subject,  it  was  found  extremely  dif- 
ficult to  obtain  from  Arius  any  satisfactory  explana- 
tion of  his  views.  He  was  not  only  as  ready  as  the 
most  orthodox  divine  present,  to  profess  that  he  be- 
lieved the  Bible  ;  but  he  also  declared  himself  wil- 
ling to  adopt,  as  his  own,  all  the  language  of  the 
scriptures,  in  detail,  concerning  the  person  and  cha- 
racter of  the  blessed  Redeemer.  But  when  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Council  wished  to  ascertain  in  what 

SENSE  HE  UNDERSTOOD  THIS  LANGUAGE,  he  dis- 
covered a  disposition  to  evade  and  equivocate,  and 
actually,  for  a  considerable  time,  baffled  the  attempts 
of  the  most  ingenious  of  the  orthodox  to  specify 
his  errors,  and  to  bring  them  to  light.  He  declared 
that  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  employ  the  popular 
language  on  the  subject  in  controversy  ;  and  wished 
to  have  it  believed  that  he  differed  very  little  from 
the  body  of  the  church.  Accordingly  the  orthodox 
went  over  the  various  titles  of  Christ  plainly  expres- 
sive of  Divinity, — such  as  "  God" — "  the  true  God" 
— the  "  express  image  of  God,"  &c. — to  every  one 
of  which  Arius  and  his  followers  most  readily  sub- 


28 

scribed  ; — claiming  a  right,  however,  to  put  their 
OWN  CONSTRUCTION  Oil  the  scriptuial  titles  in  quest- 
ion. After  employing  much  time  and  ingenuity  in 
vain,  in  endeavouring  to  drag  this  artful  chief 
from  his  lurking  places,  and  to  obtain  from  him  an 
explanation  of  his  views,  the  Council  found  it  would 
be  impossible  to  accomplish  their  object  as  long  as 
they  permitted  him  to  intrench  himself  behind  a 
\V.niere  general  profession  of  belief  in  the  Bible. 
They  therefore,  did,  what  common  sense,  as  well  as 
the  word  of  God,  had  taught  the  church  to  do  in 
all  preceding  times,  and  what  alone  can  enable  her 
to  detect  the  artful  advocate  of  error.  Th«»f  ex- 
pressed, in  their  own  language,  what  they  supposed 
to  be  the  doctrine  of  scripture  concerning  the  Divin- 
ity of  the  Saviour ;  in  other  words,  they  drew  up  a 
Confession  of  Faith  on  this  subject,  which  they 
called  upon  Arius  and  his  disciples  to  subscribe. 
This  the  heretics  refused ;  and  were  thus  virtually 
brought  to  the  acknowledgement  that  they  did  not 
understand  the  scriptures  as  the  rest  of  the  Council 
understood  them,  and,  of  course,  that  the  charge 
against  then^'as  correct. 

The  same  course  was  taken  by  all  the  pious 
wiTNESSESS  OF  THE  TRUTH  iu  the  dark  ages,  when 
amidst  the  surrounding  corruption,  and  desolation, 
they  found  themselves  called  upon  to  bear  witness 
to  the  truth."  They  all  professed  their  belief  in  the 
Bible,  and  their  love  to  it ;  they  constantly  appeal- 
ed to  it,  as  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  prac- 
tice ;  and  they  studied  it  with  incomparably  more 
veneration  and  diligence  than  any  of  the  errorists 


29 

around  them.     This  all  history  plainly  evinces.  But 
at  the  same  time,  they  saw  the  futility  of  doing 
nothing  more  than  proclaim  in  general,  their  adhe- 
rence to  the  sacred  volume.     This  would  have  been 
no  distinction,  and  of  course,  no  testimony  at  all.     It 
would  have  been  nothing  more  than  the  bitterest  ene- 
mies of  the  truth  were  proclaiming  busily,  and  even 
clamorously,  every  day.     They,  therefore,  did  what 
the  friends  of  orthodoxy  had  been  in  the  habit  of  do- 
ing from  the  earliest  ages.     They  framed  creeds, 
from  time  to  time,  as  the  exigencies  of  the  church 
demanded,  by  means  of  which  they  Vi^ere  enabled  to 
bear   their   testimony   for   God;    to    vindicate    his 
truth  ;  and  to  transmit  the  memorials  of  their  fidelity 
to  distant  generations. — And  finally,  at  the  glorious 
Reformation  from  Popery,  by  which  the  great  Head 
of  the  church  may  be  said   again  to  have    "set 
his  people  free,"  and  the  memory  of  which  shall 
never  die;— in  drawing  the  line  between  "the  precious 
and  the  vile,"  the  friends  of  truth  followed  the  same 
course.   They,  with  one  accord,  formed  their  Creeds 
and  Confessions,  which  served,  at  once,  as  a  plea  for 
the  truth,  and  a  barrier  against  heresy.     And  it  is 
not,   perhaps,   too  much  to  say,  that  the  volume 
which  contains  the  collection  of  these  Creeds,  is  one 
of  the  most  precious  and  imperishable  monuments 
of  the  piety,  wisdom,  and  zeal  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. 

What,  now,  is  the  inference  from  all  this  experi- 
ence of  the  church  of  God,  so  universal  and  so  uni- 
form ?  It  cannot  be  misunderstood.  It  speaks 
volumes.     When  the  friends  of  truth  in  all  ages  and 

E 


30 

situations,  e\en  those  who  were  most  tenacious  of 
the  rights  of  private  judgment,  and  most  happy  in 
the  enjoyment  of  christian  liberty,  have  invariably 
found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  the  adoption  of  Creeds, 
in  order  to  ascertain  for  themselves,  as  a  social  body, 
and   to   communicate    to  others,  for  their  benefit, 

THEIR    SENSE    OF    THE    HOLY  SCKIPTURES  ; WC  are 

naturally  led  to  conclude,  not  only  that  the  resort  is 
neither  so  "unreasonable"  nor  so  "baneful"  as  many 
would  persuade  us  to  believe  ;  but  that  there  is  real- 
ly no  other  practicable  method  of  maintaining  unity 
and  purity  in  the  church  of  Christ. 

6.  A  further  argument  in  favour  of  Creeds  and  Con- 
fessions, may  be  drawn  from  the  remarkable  fact, 

that  THEIR  MOST  ZEALOUS  OPPOSERS  HAVE  GENE- 
RALLY   BEEN     LATITUDINAKIANS    AND    HERETICS. 

I  do  not  affirm  that  the  use  of  Creeds  has  never 
been  opposed  by  individuals  substantially  orthodox, 
and  even  by  orthodox  churches :  for  it  is  believed  that 
a  few  rare  oases  of  this  anomalv  have  occurred,  un- 
der  the  influence  of  strong  prejudice,  or  veiy  peculiar 
circumstances.  yTet,  so  far  as  I  can  recollect,  we 
have  no  example  of  it  among  the  ancients.  Such 
cases  are  the  growth  of  very  modern  times.  Nor,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  it  my  purpose  to  deny  that  here- 
tics have  sometimes  been  extremely  zealous  in  form- 
ing and  maintaining  the  most  corrupt  Creeds.  For 
of  this  the  early  history  of  the  church  abounds  with 
examples,  and  its  later  periods  have  not  been  wholly 
without  them.  But  what  I  venture  to  assert  is,  that, 
as  a  general  fact,  the  most  ardent  and  noisy  oppo- 
nents of  Creeds  have  been  those  who  held  corrupt 


31 

opinions;  that  none,  calling  themselves  christians, 
have  been  so  bitter  in  reviling  them,  in  modern  times, 
as  the  friends  of  Unitarianism,  and  those  who  were 
leaning  toward  that  awful  gulph  ;  and  that  the  most 
consistent  and  zealous  advocates  of  truth  have  been, 
every  where  and  at  all  times,  distinguished  by  their 
friendship  to  such  formularies.  Nor  has  this  been  by 
any  means  a  fortuitous  occurrence;  but  precisely 
what  might  have  been  calculated,  on  principle,  as 
likely  to  be  realized.  It  is  an  invariable  characteris- 
tic of  the  orthodox  that  they  lay  great  stress  on  the 
knowledge  and  reception  of  truth  ;  that  they  con- 
sider it  as  necessary  to  holiness ;  that  they  deem  an 
essential  part  of  fidelity  to  their  master  in  heaven,  to 
consist  in  contending  for  it,  and  maintaining  it,  in 
opposition  to  all  the  forms  of  error.  On  the  contra- 
ry, it  is  almost  as  invariable  a  characteristic  of 
modern  heretics,  and  more  especially  of  those  who 
fall  under  the  general  denomination  of  Unitarians, 
that  they  profess  lightly  to  esteem  modes  of  faith ; 
that  they  manifest  a  marked  indifference  to  truth ; 
that  they,  for  the  most  part,  maintain,  in  so  many 
words,  the  innocence  of  error;  and  hence  very  natu- 
rally reprobate,  and  even  vilify,  ii\]  faithful  attempts 
to  oppose  heresy,  and  to  separate  heretics  from  the 
church.  From  those,  then,  who  have  either/«r  de- 
parted, or  at  least  begun  to  depart,  from  "  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints,"  almost  exclusivel}'^,  do 
we  hear  of  the  "  oppression,"  and  the  "  mischief"  of 
Creeds  and  Confessions.  And  is  it  any  marvel  that 
those  who  maintain  the  innocence  of  error,  should 
be  unwilling  to  raise  fences  for  keeping  it  out  of  the 


32 

church  ?  Is  it  any  marvel  that  the  Arian,  the  Socini- 
an,  the  Pelagian,  and  such  as  are  verging  toward 
those  fatal  errors,  should  exceedingly  dislike  all  the 
evangelical  formularies,  which  tend  to  make  visible 
the  line  of  distinction  between  the  friends  and  the 
enemies  of  the  Redeemer  ?  No  ; — men,  as  has  been 
often  well  obseved,  "  men  are  seldom  found  oppo- 
sed to  Creeds,  mitil  Creeds  have  become  opposed  to 
them.'?  That  ^/le?/ should  dislike  and  oppose  them,  in 
these  circumstances,  is  just  as  natural  as  that  a  cul- 
prit arraigned  before  a  civil  tribunal,  should  equally 
dishke  the  law,  its  officer,  and  its  sanction. 

Accordingly,  if  we  look  a  little  into  the  interiour 
of  church  history,  especially  within  the  last  century, 
we  shall  find  these  remarks  often  and  strikingly  ex- 
emplified. We  shall  find,  with  few  exceptions,  that 
whenever  a  group  of  men  began  to  slide,  with  respect 
to  orthodoxy,  they  generally  attempted  to  break,  if 
not  to  conceal,  their  fall,  by  declaiming  against 
Creeds  and  Confessions.'  They  have  seldom  failed, 
indeed,  to  protest  in  the  beginning,  that  they  had  no 
objections  to  the  doctrines  themselves  of  the  Confes- 
sion which  they  had  subscribed,  but  to  the  principle 
of  subscribing  Confessions  at  all.  Soon,  however, 
was  the  melancholy  fact  gradually  unfolded,  that 
disaffection  to  the  doctrines  which  they  once  appear- 
ed to  love,  had  more  influence  in  directing  their 
course,  than  even  they  themselves  imagined,  and  that 
they  were  receding  further  and  further  from  the 
"  good  way"  in  which  they  formerly  seemed  to  re- 
joice. L'Truly  that  cause  is  of  a  most  suspicious 
character  to  which  latitudinarians  and  heretics,  at 


33 


least  in  modern  times,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course, 
yield  their  support ;  and  which  they  defend  with  a 
zeal,  in  general,  strictly  proportioned  to  their  hatred 
of  orthodoxy ! 

7.  The  only  further  argument  in  support  of  Creeds 
on  which  I  shall  dwell,  is,  that  their  most  zealous 

OPPOSERS  do  themselves  VIRTUALLY  EMPLOY 
THEM  IN  ALL  THEIR  ECCLESIASTICAL  PROCEED- 
INGS. 

The  favourite  maxim,  with  the  opposers  of  Creeds, 
that  all  who  acknowledge  the  Bible,  ought,  without 
hesitation,  to  be  received,  not  only  to  christian,  but 
also  to  ministerial  communion,  is  invariably  aban- 
doned by  those  who  urge  it,  the  moment  a  case 
turns  up  which  really  brings  it  to  the  test.  Did  any 
one  ever  hear  of  a  Unitarian  congregation  engaging 
as  their  Pastor  a  preacher  of  Cahinism,  knowing 
him  to  be  such  ?  But  why  not,  on  the  principle 
adopted,  or  at  least,  professed  by  Unitarians  ?  The 
Calvinist  surely  comes  with  his  Bible  in  his  hand, 
and  professes  to  believe  it  as  cordially  as  the}^ 
Why  is  not  that  enough  ?  Yet  we  know  that,  in 
fact,  it  is  not  enough  for  these  advocates  of  unbound- 
ed liberality.  Before  they  will  consent  to  receive 
him  as  their  spiritual  guide,  they  must  be  explicitly 
informed,  how  he  interprets  the  Bible;  in 
other  words,  what  is  his  particular  Creed; 
whether  it  is  substantially  the  same  with  their  own 
or  not :  and  if  they  are  not  satisfied  that  this  is  the 
case,  all  other  professions  and  protestations  will  be 
in  vain.  He  will  be  inexorably  rejected.  Here, 
then,  we  have  in  all  its  extent,  i\\e  principle  of  de- 


34 

mantling  subscription  to  a  Creed  ;  and  a  prin- 
ciple carried  out  into  practice  as  rigourously  as  ever 
it  was  by  the  most  high-toned  advocate  of  or- 
thodoxy. 

We  have  before  seen,  that  the  friends  of  truth,  in 
all  ages,  have  found,  in  their  sad  experience,  that  a 
general  profession  of  belief  in  the  Bible,  was  alto- 
gether insufficient,  either  as  a  bond  of  union,  or  as 
a  fence  against  the  inroads  of  error.  And  here  we 
find,  the  warmest  advocates  of  a  contrary  doctrine, 
and  with  a  contrary  language  in  their  mouths,  when 
they  come   to  act,  pursuing  precisely  the  same 

COURSE    WITH    THE    FRIENDS    OF    CREEDS,   with  Only 

this  difference,  that  the  Creed  which  they  apply  as 
a  test,  instead  of  being  a  written  and  tangible  docu- 
ment, is  hidden  in  the  bosoms  of  those  who  expound 
and  employ  it,  and,  of  course,  may  be  applied  in  the 
most  capricious  as  well  as  tyrannical  manner,  with- 
out appeal ;  and  further,  that,  while  they  really  act 
upon  this  principle,  they  disavoio  it,  and  would  per- 
suade the  world  that  they  proceed  upon  an  entirely 
different  plan. 

Can  there  be  a  more  conclusive  fact  than  this  ? 
The  enemies  of  Creeds  themselves  cannot  get  along 
a  day  without  them.  It  is  in  vain  to  say,  that  in 
their  case  no  Creed  is  imposed,  but  that  all  is  volun- 
tary, and  left  entirely  to  the  choice  of  the  parties 
concerned.  It  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  the  same 
may  be  with  equal  truth  asserted,  in  all  those  cases 
of  subscription  to  articles,  for  which  I  contend,  with- 
out any  exception.  No  less  vain  is  it  to  say,  again, 
that  in  their  case  the  articles  insisted  on  are  few  and 


V/ 


35  r 

simple,  and  by  no  means  so  liable  to  exception  as  the 
long  and  detailed  Creeds  which  some  churches  have 
adopted.  It  is  the  'principle  of  subscription  to  Creeds 
which  is  now  under  consideration.  If  the  lawful- 
ness and  even  the  necessity  of  acting  upon  this  prin- 
ciple can  be  established,  our  cause  is  gained.  The 
extent  to  which  we  ought  to  go  in  multiplying  arti- 
cles, is  a  secondary  question,  the  answer  to  which 
must  depend  on  the  exigencies  of  the  church  framing 
the  Creed.  Now  the  adversaries  of  Creeds,  w^hile  they 
totally  reject  the  expediency,  and  even  the  lawful- 
ness, of  the  general  principle,  yet  show  that  they 
cannot  proceed  a  step  without  adopting  it  in  practice. 
This  is  enough.  Their  conduct  is  sounder  than  their 
reasoning.  And  no  wonder.  Their  conduct  is  dic- 
tated by  good  sense,  and  practical  experience,  nay 
imposed  upon  them  by  the  evident  necessity  of  the 
case :  while  their  reasoning  is  a  theory,  derived,  as 
I  must  believe,  from  a  source  far  less  enlightened, 
and  less  safe. 

Several  other  arguments  might  be  urged  in  favour 
of  written  Creeds,  did  not  the  limits  to  which  1  am 
confined  in  this  Lecture,  forbid  me  further  to  enlarge. 

It  were  easy  to  show  that  Confessions  of  Faith, 
judiciously  drawn,  and  solemnly  adopted  by  particu- 
lar churches,  are  not  only  invaluable  as  bonds  of 
union,  and  fences  against  error  ;  but  that  they  also 
servcj'an  important  purpose,  as  accredited  manuals  of 
christian  doctrine,  well  fitted  for  the  instruction  of 
those  private  members  of  churches,  who  have  neither 
leisure,  nor  habits  of  thinking  sufficiently  close,  to 
draw  from  the  sacred  writings  themselves  a  consist- 


36 

ent  system  of  truth.  It  is  of  incalculable  use  to  the 
individual  who  has  but  little  time  for  reading,  and 
but  little  acquaintance  with  books,  to  be  furnished 
with  a  clear  and  well  arranged,  compend  of  religious 
doctrine,  which  he  is  authorized  to  regard,  not 
merely  as  the  work  of  a  single,  enlightened,  and 
pious  divine ;  but  as  drawn  out  and  adopted  by  the 
collected  wisdom  of  the  church  to  which  he  belongs. 
There  is  often  a  satisfaction,  to  a  plain,  unsophisti- 
cated mind,  not  to  be  described,  in  going  over  such 
a  compend,  article  by  article ;  examining  the  proofs 
adduced  from  the  word  of  God  in  support  of  each; 
and  "searching  the  scriptures  daily  to  see  whether 
the  things  which  it  teaches  are  so  or  not." 

It  might  also  be  further  shown,  that  sound  and 
scriptural  Confessions  of  Faith,  are  of  great  value  for 
transmitting  to  posterity  a  knowledge  of  what  is 
done  by  the  church,  at  particular  times,  in  behalf  of 
the  truth.  Every  such  Confession  that  is  formed  or 
adopted  by  the  followers  of  Christ  in  one  age,  is  a 
precious  legacy  transmitted  to  their  children,  and  to 
all  that  may  come  after  them,  in  a  succeeding  age, 
not  only  bearing  their  testimony  in  support  of  the 
true  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  also  pouring  more 
or  less  light  on  those  doctrines,  for  the  instruction  of 
all  to  whom  that  testimony  may  come. 

But  while  we  attend  to  the  principal  arguments  in 
favour  of  written  Creeds,  justice  to  the  subject  re- 
quires that  we 

II.  Examine  some  of  the  principal  objections 
which  have  been  made  to  Creeds  by  their  adversa- 
ries. 


37 

1.  And  the  first  which  I  shall  mention  is,  that 
forming  a  Creed,  and  requiring  subscription  to  it  as 
a  religious  test,  is  superseding  the  bible,  and 

MAKING    A    HUMAN    COMPOSITION     INSTEAD    OF     IT    A 

STANDARD  OF  FAITH.  "  The  Bible,"  say  those  who 
urge  this  objection,  "  is  the  only  infallible  rule  of 
faith  and  practice.  It  is  so  complete,  that  it  needs 
no  human  addition,  and  so  easily  understood,  that  it 
requires  no  human  explanation.  Why,  then,  should 
we  desire  any  other  ecclesiastical  standard?  Why- 
subscribe  ourselves,  or  call  upon  others  to  subscribe, 
any  other  Creed  than  this  plain,  inspired,  and  perfect 
one  ?  Every  time  we  do  this,  we  oifer  a  public  indig- 
nity to  the  sacred  volume,  as  we  virtually  declare, 
either  that  it  is  not  infallible,  or  not  sufficient." 
/  This  objection  is  the  most  specious  one  in  the 
whole  cataIogue>>  And  although  it  is  believed  that 
a  sufficient  answer  has  been  furnished  by  some  of 
the  principles  already  laid  down  ;  yet  the  confidence 
with  which  it  is  every  day  repeated,  renders  a  formal 
attention  to  it  expedient ;  more  especially  as  it  bears, 
at  first  view,  so  much  the  appearance  of  peculiar 
veneration  for  the  scriptures,  that  many  are  capti- 
vated by  its  plausible  aspect,  and  consider  it  as  de- 
cisive. 

The  whole  argument  which  this  objection  pre- 
sents, is  founded  on  a  false  assumption.  No  Pro- 
testant ever  professed  to  regard  his  Creed,  considered 
as  a  human  composition,  as  of  equal  authority  with 
the  scriptures,  and  far  less  as  of  paramount  authority. 
Every  principle  of  this  kind  is,  with  one  voice,  dis- 
claimed, by  all  the  Creeds,  and  defences  of  Creeds, 


38 

that  I  have  ever  read./  And  whether,  notwithstand- 
ing this,  the  constant  repetition  of  the  charge,  ought 
to  be  considered  as  lair  argument,  or  gross  calumny, 
the  impartial  will  judge.-r^A  church  Creed  professes" 
to  be,  as  was  before  observed,  merely  an  epitome,  or 
summary  exhibition  of  what  the  scriptures 
TEACH.  It  professes  to  be  deduced  from  the  scrip- 
tures, and  to  refer  to  the  scriptures  for  the  whole  of 
its  authority.  Of  course,  when  an}^  one  subscribes 
it,  he  is  so  far  from  dishonouring  the  Bible,  that  he 
does  public  homage  to  it.  He  simply  declares,  by  a 
solemn  act,  how  he  understands  the  Bible  ;  in  other 
words,  what  doctrines  he  considers  it  as  containing. 
In  short,  the  language  of  an  orthodox  believer,  in 
subscribing  his  ecclesiastical  Creed,  is  simply  of  the 
following  import. — ■"  While  the  Socinian  professes  to 
believe  the  Bible,  and  to  understand  it  as  teaching 
the  mere  humanity  of  Christ : — while  the  Arian  pro-* 
fesses  to  receive  the  same  Bible,  and  to  find  in  it 
the  Saviour  represented  as  the  most  exalted  of  all 
creatures,  but  still  a  creature  : — While  the  Pelagian 
and  Semi-Pelagian  make  a  similar  profession  of  their 
general  belief  in  the  scriptures,  and  interpret  them 
as  teaching  a  doctrine,  far  more  favourable  to  human 
nature,  and  far  less  honourable  to  the  grace  of  God, 
than  they  appear  to  me  really  to  teach ; — I  beg  the 
privilege  of  declaring,  for  myself,  that,  while  I 
believe,  with  all  my  heart,  that  the  Bible  is  the  word 
of  God,  the  only  perfect  rule  of  faith  and  manners, 
and  the  only  ultimate  test  in  all  controversies — it 
plainly  teaches,  as  1  read  and  believe — the  deplora- 
ble and  total  depravity  of  human  nature — the  essen- 


39  s^ 

tial  Divinity  of  the  Saviour — a  Trinity  of  persons  in 
the  Godhead — justification  by  the  imputed  righteous- 
ness of  Christ — and  regeneration  and  sanctification 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  indispensable  to  prepare  the 
soul  for  heaven. — These  I  believe  to  be  the  radical 
truths  which  God  hath  revealed  in  his  word ;  and 
while  they  are  denied  by  some,  and  frittered  away 
or  perverted  by  others,  who  profess  to  believe  that 
blessed  word,  I  am  verily  persuaded  they  are  the  ^/i 

fundamental  principles  of  the  plan  of  salvation." r 

Now,  I  ask,  is  there  in  all  this  language,  any 
thing  dishonourable  to  the  Bible  ?  Any  thing  that 
tends  to  supersede  its  authority  ;  or  to  introduce  a 
rule,  or  a  tribunal  of  paramount  authority? /Is  there 
,--itot,   on  the  contrary ^.^n  the  whole   language  and 
spirit  of  such  a  declaration,  an  acknowledgment  of 
God's  word   as  of  ultimate  and  supreme  authority ; 
ajnji^^    expression  of  belief  in   certain  doctrines, 
f  SIMPLY  and  ONLY  BECAUSE  they  are  believed  to  be 
/  REVEALED  IN  THAT  WORD?)  Truly,  if  THIS  be  dis- 
Tionouring  the  scriptures,  or  setting  up  a  standard 
above  them,  there  is  an  end  of  all  meaning  either  of 
words  or  actions. 
/<^^ut  still  it  is  asked — "  Where  is  the  need  of  any 
r  definitive  declaration   of  what  we   understand  the 
''scriptures  to  teac^    Are  they  not  intelligible  enough 
in  themselves  ?     Can  we  make  them   plainer  than 
their  Author  has  done  ?    Why  hold  a  candle  to  the 
sun  ?    Why  make  an  attempt  to  frame  a  more  expli- 
cit test   than  He  who  gave  the  Bible  has  thought 
proper  to  frame : — an  attempt,  as  vain  as  it  is  pre-  . 
sumptuous  ?"  To  this  plea  it  is  sufficient  to  answer,  1 


40 

'that,  although  the  scriptures  are  undoubtedly  simple 
and  plain )  so  plain  that  "  he  who  runs  may  read ;" 
yet  it  is  equally  certain  that  thousands  do,  in  fact, 
mistake  and  misinterpret  them.  This  cannot  possi- 
bly be  denied  ;  because^  thousands  interpret  them, 
and  that  on  points  confessedly  fundamental,  not  only 
in  different,  but  in  directly  opposite  ways.  Of  course 
all  cannot  be  equally  right.  Can  it  be  wrong,  then, 
for  a  pious  and  orthodox  man — or  for  a  pious  and 
orthodox  church,  to  exhibit,  and  endeavour  to  recom- 
mend to  others,  their  mode  of  interpreting  the  sacred 

s  volume  ?  As  the  world  is  acknowledged,  on  all 
hands,  to  be,  in  fact,  full  of  mistake  and  error  as  to 
the  true  meaning  of  holy  scripture,  can  it  be  thought 
a  superfluous  task  for  those  who  have  more  light, 
and  more  correct  opinions,  to  hold  them  up  to  view, 
as  a  testimony  to  the  truth,  and  as  a  guide  to  such 
as  may  be  in  error  ?  fSurely  it  cannot.  Yet  this  is 
neither  more  nor  less  than  precisely  that  formation 
and  maintenance  of  a  scriptural  Confession  of  Faith 

^or  which  1  am  pleading. 

Still,  however,  it  may  be  asked,  what  right  has 
any  man,  or  set  of  men  to  interpose  their  authority, 
and  undertake  to  deal  out  the  sense  of  scripture  for 
others?  Is  it  not  both  impious  in  itself,  and  an  im- 
proper assumption  over  the  minds  of  our  fellow  men  ? 
I  answer,  this  reasoning  would  prove  too  much,  and 
therefore,  proves  nothing.  For,  if  admitted,  it  would 
prove  that  all  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  pre- 
sumptuous and  criminal ;  because  preaching  always 
consists  in  explaining  and  enforcing  scripture,  and 
that,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  words  of  the  preacher 


41 

himself.  Indeed,  if  the  objection  before  us  were 
valid,  it  would  prove  that  all  the  pious  writings  of 
the  most  eminent  Divines,  in  all  ages,  who  have 
had  for  their  object  to  elucidate  and  apply  the  word 
of  God,  were  profane  and  arrogant  attempts  to  mend 
his  revelation,  and  make  it  better  fitted  than  it  is,  to 
promote  its  great  design.  |' Nay,  further;  upon  the 
principle  of  this  objection,  it  not  only  follows,  that 
no  minister  of  the  gospel  ought  ever  to  do  more  in 
the  pulpit  than  simply  to  read  or  to  repeat  the 
VERY  WORDS  OF  SCRIPTURE;  but  it  is  equally  evi- 
dent, that  he  must  read  or  repeat  scripture  to  his 
hearers,  only  in  the  languages  in  which  they 

WERE     originally    GIVEN    TO    THE    CHURCH.       For, 

as  has  been  often  observed,  it  cannot  be  said,  that 
the  words  of  any  translation  of  the  Bible  are  the 
very  words  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  '  They  are  only  the 
words  which  uninspired  men  have  chosen,  in  which 
to  express,  as  nearly  as  they  were  able,  the  sense  of 
the  original.  If,  therefore,  the  objection  before  us 
be  admitted,  no  man  is  at  liberty  to  teach  the  great 
truths  of  revelation  in  any  other  way  than  by  literal- 
ly repeating  the  Hebrew  text  of  the  old  testament, 
and  the  Greek  of  the  new,  in  the  hearing  of  the 
people.  So  extreme  is  the  absurdity  to  which  an 
erroneous  principle  will  not  fail  to  lead  those  who 
are  weak  enough,  or  bold  enough  to  follow  it  to  its 
legitimate  consequences !  ^^^^s^ftt 

But,  after  all,  what  language  do  facts  ^peak  on 
this  subject?  Are  those  individuals  or  churches, 
who  have  been  most  distinguished  for  their  attach- 
ment and  adherence  to  Creeds,  more  regardless  of 


42 

the  Bible  than  other  professing  christians  ?  Do  they 
appear  to  esteem  the  Bible  less  ?  Do  they  read  it 
less  ?  Do  they  appeal  to  it  less  frequently,  as  their 
grand  and  ultimate  authority  ?  Do  they  quote  it 
more  rarely,  or  with  less  respect  in  their  preaching  ? 
Where  they  once  refer  to  their  Creeds  or  Catechisms, 
for  either  authority  or  illustration,  in  the  pulpit,  do 
they  not,  notoriously,  refer  to  the  Bible  a  thousand 
times?  Do  they  take  less  pains  than  others  to  impress 
the  contents  of  the  sacred  volume  on  the  minds  of 
their  children,  and  to  hold  it  forth  as  the  unceasing 
object  of  study  to  all  ?  Look  at  the  reformed  churches 
of  Scotland  and  Holland,  of  France  and  Geneva,  in 
their  best  state,  when  their  Confessions  of  Faith 
were  most  venerated,  and  had  most  power  ;  and  then 
say,  whether  any  churches,  since  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,  ever  discovered  more  reverence  for  the 
scriptures,  or  treated  them  with  more  devout  regard, 
as  the  only  perfect  standard  of  faith  and  practice,  than 
they  ?  Nay,  am  I  not  warranted  in  making  a  similar 
appeal  with  respect  to  those  churches  in  our  land, 
which  have  been  most  distinguished  for  their  attach- 
ment to  Creeds?  Are  not  their  ministers,  in  general, 
quite  as  remarkable  for  very  rarely  quoting  their 
own  ecclesiastical  formularies,  for  either  proof  or 
illustration,  as  they  are  for  their  constant  and  abun- 
dant quotations  from  scripture  for  both  purposes? 
Can  the  same  incessant  and  devout  recurrence  to  the 
sacred  oracles  be  ascribed  with  equal  truth  to  the 
great  body  of  the  opposers  of  Creeds,  in  ancient  or 
modem  times?  I  will  not  press  this  comparison  into 
further  detail ;  but  have  no  apprehension  that  even 


43 

the  bitterest  enemy  of  Creeds,  who  has  a  tolerable 
acquaintance  with  facts,  and  the  smallest  portion  of 
candour,  will  venture  to  say  that  the  result,  fairly 
deduced,  is  in  favour  of  his  cause.  ^     .      :  • . 

2.  Another  objection  frequently  made  to  church 
Creeds  is,  that  they  intekfere  with  the  rights 

OF  CONSCIENCE,  AND  NATURALLY  LEAD  TO  OP- 
PRESSION. "What  right,"  say  those  who  urge  this 
objection,  "  has  any  church,  or  body  of  churches,  to 
impose  a  Creed  on  me,  or  dictate  to  me  what  I  shall 
believe  ?  To  attempt  such  dictation  is  tyranny  ;  to 
submit  to  it,  is  to  surrender  the  right  of  private  judg- 
ment." 

There  would  be  some  ground  for  this  objection,  if 
a  Creed  were,  in  any  case,  imposed,  by  the  civil  go- 
vernment, or  by  an  established  church  ;  if  any  were 
obliged  to  receive  it,  under  heavy  pains  and  disabili- 
ties, whether  they  approved  it  or  not.  But  as  such  a 
case  does  not,  and,  happily,  cannot  exist  in  our  fa- 
voured country,  the  objection  is  surely  as  illegitimate 
in  reasoning,  as  it  is  false  in  fact.  One  is  tempted 
to  suspect  that  those  who  urge  such  an  objection 
among  us,  have  found  it  manufactured  to  their 
hands,  by  persons  living  under  civil  governments  and 
ecclesiastical  establishments  of  an  oppressive  charac- 
ter ;  and  viewing  it  as  a  weapon  which  might  be 
wielded  with  much  popular  effect,  they  have  taken 
it  into  their  service,  and  thenceforward  refused  to 
abandon  it ;  though  proved  a  thousand  times  to  have 
no  more  application  to  any  Creed  or  church  in  the 
United  States,  than  to  the  inhabitants  of  another 
planet. 


44 

It  will  not,  surely,  be  denied  by  any  one,  that  a 
body  of  christians  have  a  right,  in  every  free  count- 
ry, to  associate  and  walk  together  upon  such  princi- 
ples as  they  may  choose  to  agree  upon,  not  incon- 
sistent with  public  order.  They  have  a  right  to 
agree  and  declare  how  they  understand  the  scrip- 
tures ;  what  articles  found  in  scripture  they  concur 
in  considering  as  fundamental ;  and  in  what  manner 
they  will  have  their  public  preaching  and  polity  con- 
ducted, for  the  edification  of  themselves  and  their 
children.  They  have  no  right,  indeed,  to  decide  or 
to  judge ybr  others,  nor  can  they  compel  any  man  to 
join  them.  But  it  is  surely  their  privilege  to  judge 
for  themselves  ;  to  agree  upon  the  i)lan  of  their  own 
association  ;  to  determine  upon  what  principles  they 
will  receive  other  members  into  their  brotherhood  ; 
and  to  form  a  set  of  rules  which  will  exclude  from 
their  body  those  with  whom  they  cannot  walk  in 
harmony.  The  question  is,  not  whether  they  make, 
in  all  cases,  a  wise  and  scriptural  use  of  this  right  to 
follow  the  dictates  of  conscience — but  whether  they 
possess  the  right  at  all  ?  They  are,  indeed,  account- 
able for  the  use  which  they  make  of  it,  and  solemnly 
accountable,  to  their  Master  in  heaven  ;  but  to  man 
they  surely  cannot,  and  ought  not,  to  be  compelled 
to  give  any  account.  It  is  their  own  concern. 
Their  fellow-men  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  as 
long  as  they  commit  no  offence  against  the  public 
peace.  To  decide  otherwise,  would  indeed  be  an 
outrage  on  the  right  of  private  judgment.  If  the 
principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  generally 
prevalent  in  our  happy  country,  be  correct,  demon- 


45 

stration  itself  cannot  be  more  incontrovertible  than 
these  positions. 

But  if  a  body  of  professing  christians  have  a 
natural  right  thus  to  associate,  to  extract  their  own 
Creed  from  the  scriptures,  and  to  agree  upon  the 
principles  by  which  others  may  afterwards  be  admit- 
ted into  their  number ;  is  it  not  equally  manifest 
that  they  have  the  same  right  to  refuse  admittance 
to  those  with  whom,  they  believe,  they  cannot  be 
comfortably  connected  ?  ■>. 

Let  us  suppose  a  church  to  be  actually  associat-" 
ed  upon  the  principle  laid  down ;  its  Creed  and 
other  articles  adopted,  and  published  for  the  inform- 
ation of  all  who  may  wish  to  be  informed  ;  and  its 
members  walking  together  in  harmony  and  love. 
Suppose,  while  things  are  in  this  situation,  a  person 
comes  to  them,  and  addresses  them  thus — "I  demand 
admittance  into  your  body,  though  I  can  neither  be- 
lieve the  doctrines  which  you  profess  to  embrace, 
nor  consent  to  be  governed  by  the  rules  which  you 
have  agreed  to  adopt." — What  answer  would  they 
be  apt  to  give  him  ?  They  would  certainly  reply — 
*'Your  demand  is  very  unreasonable.  Our  union 
is  a  voluntary  one,  for  our  mutual  spiritual  benefit. 
We  have  not  solicited  you  to  join  us  ;  and  you  can- 
not possibly  have  a  right  to  force  yourself  into  our 
body.  The  whole  world  is  before  you.  Go  where 
you  please.  We  cannot  agree  to  receive  you,  unless 
you  are  willing  to  walk  with  us  upon  our  own  prin- 
ciples." Such  an  answer  would  undoubtedly  be 
deemed  a  proper  one  by  every  reasonable  person. 
Suppose,  however,  this  applicant  were  still  to  urge 

G 


46 

/■ 

his  demand;  to  claim  admission  as  a  right;  and, 
upon  being  finally  refused,  to  complain,  that  the  so- 
ciety had  "  persecuted"  and  "  injured"  him  ?  Would 
any  one  think  him  possessed  of  common  sense  ? 
Nay,  would  not  the  society  in  question,  if  they 
could  be  compelled  to  receive  such  an  applicant,  in- 
stead of  being  oppressors  of  others,  cease  to  be  free 
themselves  ? 

The  same  principle  would  still  more  strongly  ap- 
ply, in  case  of  a  clergyman  offering  himself  to  such 
a  church,  as  a  candidate  for  the  station  of  pastor 
among  them.  Suppose,  when  he  appeared  to  make 
a  tender  of  his  services,  they  were  to  present  him 
with  a  copy  of  that  Creed,  and  of  that  form  of  go- 
vernment and  of  worship  which  they  had  unani- 
mously adopted,  and  to  say — "  This  is  what  we  be- 
lieve. We  pretend  not  to  prescribe  to  others ;  but 
*  so  WE  have  learned  Christ ;'  so  we  understand  the 
scriptures ;  and  thus  we  wish  ourselves,  our  child- 
ren, and  all  who  look  up  to  us  for  guidance,  to  be 
instructed.  Can  you  subscribe  to  these  formularies  ? 
Are  you  willing  to  come  among  us  upon  these  prin- 
ciples, and,  as  our  pastor,  thus  to  break  to  us,  and 
our  little  ones  what  we  deem  '  the  bread  of  life  ?'  " 
Could  the  candidate  complain  of  such  a  demand  ? 
Many  speak  as  if  the  church,  in  putting  him  to  this 
test,  undertook  to  "judge  for  him."  But  nothing 
can  be  more  remote  from  the  truth.  They  only 
undertake  to  judge  for  themselves.  If  the  candid- 
ate cannot  or  will  not  accept  of  the  test,  he  will  be 
of  course,  nyected.  But,  in  this  case,  no  judgment 
is  passed  on  his  state  toward  God  ;  no  ecclesiastical 


47 

censure,  not  even  the  smallest,  is  inflicted  upon  him. 
The  church  only  claim  a  right  to  be  served  in  the 
ministerial  office  by  a  man  who  is  of  the  same  reli- 
gion with  themselves.  And  is  this  an  unreasonable 
demand  ?  Are  not  the  rights  of  conscience  recipro- 
cal ?  Or  do  they  demand,  that,  while  a  church  shall 
be  prohil)ited  from  "  oppressing"  an  individual,  an 
individual  shall  be  allowed  to  "  oppress"  a  church  ? 
Surely  it  cannot  l)e  necessary  to  wait  for  an  answer. 
Accordingly,  the  transactions  of  secular  life,  fur- 
nish every  day  a  practical  refutation  of  the  objection 
which  I  am  now  considering.  Does  the  head  of  a 
family,  when  a  person  ap[)lies  to  be  received  as  a 
resident  under  his  roof,  ever  doubt  that  he  has  a 
right  to  inquire  whether  the  applicant  be  willing  to 
conform  to  the  rules  of  his  family  or  not ;  and  if  he 
decline  this  conformity,  to  refuse  him  admission  ? 
And  even  after  he  has  been  received  and  tried,  for  a 
while,  if  he  prove  an  uncomfortable  inmate,  does 
not  every  one  consider  the  master  of  the  family  as 
at  liberty  to  exclude  him  ?  Has  not  every  parent, 
and,  of  course,  every  voluntary  association  of  pa- 
rents, an  acknowledged  right  to  determine  what  qua- 
lifications they  will  require  in  a  preceptor  for  their 
children  ;  and,  if  so,  to  bring  all  candidates  to  the 
test  agreed  on,  and  to  reject  those  who  do  not  cor- 
respond with  it  ?  And  if  a  candidate  who  fell  to- 
tally short  of  the  qualifications  required,  and  who, 
of  course,  was  rejected,  should  make  a  great  outcry, 
that  he  was  "wantonly"  and  "tyrannicaHy"  de- 
prived of  the  place  to  which  he  aspired,  would  not 
every  one  think  him  insajie,  or  worse  than  insane  f 


48 

The  same  principle  applies  to  every  voluntary  asso- 
ciation, for  moral,  literary,  or  other  lawful  purposes. 
If  the  members  have  not  a  right  to  agree  on  what 
principles  they  will  associate,  and  to  refuse  mem- 
bership to  those  who  are  known  to  be  entirely  hos- 
tile to  the  great  object  of  the  association,  there  is  an 
end  of  all  liberty.  Of  the  self-evident  truth  of  all 
this,  no  one  doubts.  But  where  is  the  essential  dif- 
ference between  any  one  of  these  rights,  and  the 
right  of  any  community  of  professing  christians  to 
agree  upon  what  they  deem  the  scriptural  principles 
of  their  own  union ;  and  to  refuse  admission  into 
their  body  of  those  whom  they  consider  as  unfriend- 
ly to  the  great  purposes  of  truth  and  edification,  for 
the  promotion  of  which  they  associated  ?  To  deny 
them  this  right,  would  be  to  make  them  slaves  in- 
deed! 

It  will  probably,  however,  be  alledged,  that  a 
church  cannot,  properly  speaking,  be  considered  as  a 
voluntary  association ;  that  it  is  a  community  insti- 
tuted  by  the  authority  of  Christ ;  that  its  laws  are 
given  by  Him,  as  its  sovereign  Head  and  Lord  ;  and 
that  its  rulers  are  in  fact  onlv  stewards,  bound  to 
conform  themselves  in  all  that  they  do  to  his  will ; 
that,  if  the  church  were  their  own,  they  would  have 
a  right  to  shut  out  from  it  whom  they  pleased ;  but 
as  it  is  Christ's,  they  must  find  some  other  rule  of 
proceeding  than  their  own  volitions.  This  is,  doubt- 
less, all  true^  The  church  of  Christ  certainly  cannot 
be  regardea  as  a  mere  voluntary  association,  in  the 
same  sense  in  which  many  other  societies  are  so 
called.     It  is  the  property  of  Christ.     His  will  is  the 


49 

basis  and  the  law  of  its  establishment,  and,  of  course, 
none  can  be  either  admitted  or  excluded  but  upon 
principles  which  his  own  word  prescribes.  Thisj 
/////»  ^  however,  it  ioi^eonceived,  does  not  alter  "one  jot  or 
tittle,"  the  spirit  of  the  foregoing  reasoning.  The 
union  of  christians  in  a  church  state,  must,  still, 
from  the  nature  of  things,  be  a  voluntary  act;  for  if 
it  were  not  so,  it  would  not  be  a  moral  act  at  all. 
But  if  the  union  be  voluntary,  then  those  who  form 
it,  must  certainly  be  supposed  to  have  a  right  to  fol- 
low their  own  convictions  as  to  what  their  Divine 
Master  has  revealed  and  enjoined  respecting  the  laws 
of  their  union.  If  i/ie^are  not  to  judge  in  this  mat- 
ter, who,  I  ask,  is  to  judge  for  them?  Has  the  Head 
of  the  Church,  then,  prescribed  any  qualifications  as 
necessary  for  private  membership,  or  for  admission 
to  the  ministerial  office,  in  his  church?  If  so,  what 
are  they  ?  Will  any  degree  of  departure  from  the  pu- 
rity of  faith  or  practice,  be  sufficient  to  exclude  a 
man  ?  If  it  will,  to  whom  has  our  Lord  committed 
the  task  of  applying  his  law,  and  judging  in  any  par- 
ticular case  ?  to  the  applicants  or  delinquents  them- 
selves ;  or  to  the  church  in  which  membership  is  de- 
sired ?  If  to  the  latter,  on  what  principles  is  she 
bound  to  proceed  ?  As  her  members  have  voluntari- 
ly associated  for  their  mutual  instruction  and  edifica- 
tion in  spiritual  things,  have  they  not  a  right  to  be 
satisfied  that  the  individual  who  applies  to  be  receiv- 
ed among  them,  either  as  a  private  member  or  minis- 
ter, entertains  opinions,  and  bears  a  character,  which 
will  be  consistent  with  the  great  object  which  they 
seek  ?    Can  any  such  individual  reasonably  refuse 


50 

to  satisfy  them  as  to  the  accordance  of  his  religious 
sentiments  with  theirs,  if  they  think  that  both  the  law 
of  Christ,  and  the  nature  of  the  case,  render  such  ac- 
cordance necessary  to  christian  fellowship  ?  If  he 
could  not  reasonably  refuse  to  give  satisfaction  vev' 
bally  on  this  subject;  could  he,  with  any  more  reason, 
refuse  to  stale  his  own  sentiments  in  writing,  and 
subscribe  his  name  to  that  written  statement  ?  Sure- 
ly to  decline  this,  while  he  consented  to  give  a  verbal 
exhibition  of  his  Creed,  would  wear  the  appearance 
of  singular  caprice  or  perverseness.  B  ut  if  no  ration- 
al objection  could  be  made  to  his  subscribing  a  decla- 
ration, drawn  up  with  his  own  hand,  would  it  not  be 
exactly  the  same  thing,  as  to  the  spirit  of  the  trans- 
action, if,   with  a  view,  simply,  to  ascertain  the 

FACT    OF     HIS    BELIEF,    NOT    TO     DICTATE    LAWS    TO 

HIS  CONSCIENCE,  a  Statement  previously  drawn  up 
by  the  church  herself,  should  be  presented  for  his 
voluntary  signature  ?  What  is  required  of  an  indi- 
vidual in  such  case  is,  not  that  he  shall  believe 
what  the  church  believes ;  but  simply  that  he  shall 
declare,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  whether  he  does  possess 
that  belief,  which,  from  his  voluntary  application  to 
be  received  into  christian  fellowship  with  that 
church,  he  may  be  fairly  presumed  to  possess. — 
Again,  I  ask,  is  it  possible  to  deny  a  church  this  right, 
without  striking  at  the  root  of  all  that  is  sacred  in  the 
convictions  of  conscience,  and  of  all  that  is  precious 
in  the  enjoyment  of  christian  communion  ?  I  fully 
grant,  indeed,  that,  as  her  authority  rests  entirely  on 
the  declared  will  cf  Christ,  she  has  no  right,  in  the 
sight  of  God,  to  propose  to  a  candidate,  any  other 


61 

than  a  sound  orthodox  Creed.  She  cannot  possibly 
be  considered  as  having  a  right,  on  this  principle,  to 
require  his  assent  to  anti-scriptural  principles.  Still, 
however,  as  the  rights  of  conscience  are  unalienable ; 
and  as  every  church  must  be  considered,  of  course,  as 
verily  believing  that  she  is  acting  according  to  her 
Master's  will,  we  must  concede  to  her  the  plenary 
right,  in  the  sight  of  man,  to  require  from  those  who 
would  join  her,  a  solemn  assent  to  her  formularies. 

But,  perhaps,  it  will  be  asked,  when  a  man  has 
already  become  a  member,  or  minister  of  a  church, 
in  virtue  of  a  voluntary  and  honest  subscription  to 
her  articles,  and  afterwards  alters  his  mind ; — if  he 
be  excluded  from  her  communion  as  a  private  mem- 
ber, or  deposed  from  office  as  a  minister,  is  not  here 
«  oppression  ?"  Is  it  not  inflicting  on  a  man  a  "  heavy 
penalty"  for  his  "  opinions ;"  "  punishing"  him  for  his 
*' sincere,  conscientious  convictions?" — I  answer,  if 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  not  only  authorized,  but 
solemnly  commanded  his  church  to  cast  the  heretical, 
as  well  as   immoral,  out  of  her   communion,  -^nd 
wholly  to  withdraw  her  countenance  from  those 
who  preach  "  another  gospel ;"— then  it  is  manifest, 
that  the  church,  in  acting  on  this  authority,  does  no 
one  any  injury.     In  excluding  a  private  member 
from  the   communion  of  a  church,   or  deposing  a 
minister  from  office,  in  the  regular  and  scriptural  ex- 
ercise of  discipline,  she  deprives  neither  of  any  natu- 
ral right.     It  is  only  withdrawing  that  which  was 
voluntarily  asked,  and  voluntarily  bestowed,  and 
which  might  have  been,  without  injustice,  withheld. 
It  is  only  practically  saying—"  You  can  no  longer, 


consistently  with  our  views,  either  of  obedience  to 
Christ,  or  of  christian  edification,  be  a  minister  or  a 
member  with  us.  You  may  be  as  happy  and  as  use- 
ful as  you  can  in  any  other  connection ;  but  we  must 
take  away  that  authority  and  those  privileges  which 
we  once  gave  you,  and  of  which  your  further  exer- 
cise AMONG  us  would  be  subversive  of  those  princi- 
ples which  we  are  solemnly  pledged  to  each  other 
to  support."  Is  this  language  unreasonable  ?  Is  the 
measure  which  it  contemplates  oppressive  ?  Would 
it  be  more  just  in  itself,  or  more  favourable  to  the 
rights  of  conscience,  if  any  individual  could  retain 
his  place  as  a  teacher  and  guide  in  a  church,  contrary 
to  its  wishes ;  to  the  subversion  of  its  faith  ;  to  the 
disturbance  of  its  peace  ;  and  finally,  to  the  endan- 
gering of  its  existence  ;  and  all  this  contrary  to  his 
own  solemn  engagements,  and  to  the  distinct  under- 
standing of  its  members,  when  he  joined  them? 
Surely  every  friend  of  religious  liberty  would  indig- 
nantly answer,  No!  Such  a  church  would  be  the 
oppressed  party,  and  such  a  member,  the  tyrant. 

The  conclusion,  then,  is,  that  when  a  church 
makes  use  of  a  Creed  in  the  manner  that  has  been 
described  ;  as  a  bond  of  union ;  as  a  barrier  against 
what  it  deems  heresy ;  and  in  conformity  with  what 
it  conscientiously  believes  to  be  the  will  of  Christ ; 
it  is  so  far  from  encroaching  on  the  "  rights"  of 
others;  so  far  from  being  chargeable  with  "  oppres- 
sion;"— that  it  is  really,  in  the  most  enlightened  man- 
ner, and  on  the  largest  scale,  maintaining  the 
RIGHTS  OF  CONSCIENCE  ;  and  that  for  such  a  church, 
instead  of  doing  this,  to  give  up  its  own  testimony 


53 

to  the  truth  and  order  of  God's  house ;  to  surrender 
its  own  comfort,  peace,  and  edification  for  the  sake 
of  complying  with  the  unreasonable  demands  of  a 
corrupt  individual,  would  be  to  subject  itself  to  the 
worst  of  slavery.  What  is  the  subjugation  of  the 
many,  with  all  their  interests,  rights,  and  happiness 
to  the  dictation  of  one,  or  a  few,  but  the  essence  of 
tyranny  r  ■^--  -■* 

3.  A  third  objection   often  urged    against  sub-^ 
scription  to   Creeds  and  Confessions  is,  that  it  is'i^' 
UNFRIENDLY  TO  FHEE  INQUIRY.  [  "  When  a  man," 
say  the  enemies  of  Creeds,   "  has  once  subscribed 
a  public  formulary,  and  taken  his  ecclesiastical  stand 
with  a  church  which   requires  it,  he  must  continue 
so  to  believe  to  the  end  of  life  or  resign   his  place  ; 
new  light  in  abundance  may  offer  itself  to  his  view ; 
but  he  must  close  his  eyes  against  it.     Now,  can  it 
be  right,   say  they,  for  any  one  voluntarily  to  place 
himself  in  circumstances  of  so   much  temptation  ; 
willingly  to   place    himself  within    the    reach    of 
strong  inducements  to  tamper  with  conscience,  and 
to  resist  conviction  ?"  'Ng^ 

In  answer  to  this  objection,  my  first  remark  is,  ''^ 
that  when  a  man  takes  on  himself  the  solemn  and 
highly  responsible  office  of  a  public  instructor  of 
others,  we  must  presume  that  he  has  examined  the 
most  important  of  the  various  Creeds,  called  christ- 
ian, with  all  the  deliberation,  sincerity,  and  prayer, 
of  which  he  is  capable,  and  that  he  has  madaup  his 
mind  with  respect  to  the  leading  doctrines  of  scrip- 
ture. To  suppose  any  one  capable  of  entering  on 
the  duties  of  the  ministerial  office  while  he  is  wav- 

H 


54 

ering  and  unsettled,  and  liable  to  be  "  carried  about 
by  every  wind  of  doctrine,"  is  to  suppose  him  both 
weak  and  criminal  to  a  very  great  degree.  I  know, 
indeed,  that  some  ardent  opposers  of  Creeds,  consi- 
der a  state  of  entire  indecision  with  regard  even  to 
leading  theological  doctrines,  as  the  most  laudable 
and  desirable  stale  of  mind.  They  wish  every  man, 
not  only  to  feel  himself  a  learner  to  the  end  of  life, 
which  is  undoubtedly  right;  but,  also,  if  possible, 
to  keep  himself  in  that  equilibrium  of  mind  with 
respect  to  the  most  important  doctrinal  opinions, 
which  shall  amount  to  perfect  indifference  whether 
he  retains  or  relinquishes  his  present  sentiments. 
This  they  eulogize,  as  "  openness  to  conviction," 
"  freedom  from  prejudice,"  &c.  Without  stopping 
to  combat  this  sentiment  at  large,  I  hesitate  not  to 
pronounce  it  unreasonable  in  itself;  contrary  to 
scripture  ;  and  an  enemy  to  all  christian  stability  and 
comfort.  We  know  what  is  said  in  the  word  of 
God,  of  those  who  are  "  ever  learning,  and  never 
able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  I 
repeat  it,  we  must  suppose  him  who  undertakes  to 
\j  be  a  teacher  of  others,  to  be  himself,  as  the  apostle 
•*  expresses  it,  "  grounded  and  settled  in  the  faith." 
We  ought  to  be  considered,  then,  as  having  all  the 
security  that  the  nature  of  the  case  admits,  that  he 
who  comes  forward  as  one  of  the  lights  and  leaders 
of  a  religious  community,  is  firm  in  the  principles 
which  he  has  professed,  and  will  not  be  very  apt,  es- 
sentially, to  alter  his  Creed. 

But  further  ;  the  same  objection  might  be  urged, 
/  with  quite  as  much  force,  against  a  man's  making 


55 


V   ANY  PUBLIC    DECLARATION    OF  HIS   SENTIMENTS,  ci^ 

ther  by  preaching,  or  by  writing  and  printing;  lest 
he  should  afterwards  obtain  more  light,  and  yet  be 
;  tempted  to   adhere,  contrary  to  his  conscience,  to 
I   what  he   had    before  so   publicly   espoused.  I  But 
does  any  honest  minister  of  the  gospel  think  it  his 
duty  to  forbear  to  preach,   or  otherwise  to  express 
his  opinions,  because  it  is  possible  he  may  afterwards 
change  them  ?     We  know  that  if  the  preacher  of  a 
Unitarian  congregation  should  alter  his  views,  and 
become   orthodox,  he  must  quit  his  place,  give  up 
his  salary,  and  seek  employment   among  his  new 
connections.     The  same  thing  would  happen,  if  a 
change   the  converse  of  this  were  to  occur,  and  an 
orthodox  preacher  become  a  unitarian.    What  then  ? 
Because  an  honest  man,  when  he  changes  his  mind 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  will  always  hold  himself 
in  readiness  to  change  his  situation,  and  to   make 
every  necessary  sacrifice,  shall  he,  therefore,  never 
venture  to  take  any  public  station,  lest  he  should  not 
always  think  as  he  does  at  present  ? 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  that  every  public  act,  by 
/  which  a  man  pledges  himself,  even  as  a  private 
member,  to  any  particular  denomination  of  christ- 
ians, interposes  some  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  af- 
terwards deserting  that  denomination,  and  unitmg 
himself  with  another^^  And,  perhaps,  it  maybe  said, 
the  more  delicate  and  honourable  his  mind,  the  more 
reluctant  and  shjw  he  will  be  to  abandon  his  old  con- 
nections, and  choose  new  ones.  So  that  such  an 
one  will  really  labour  under  a  temptation  to  resist 
light,  and  remain  where  he  is.     But  because  this  is 


56 

so,  shall  a  man,  therefore,  never  join  any  church ; 
never  take  any  step  that  will,  directly  or  indirectly, 
pledge  his  religious  Creed  or  character,  lest  he  should 
afterwards  alter  his  mind,  and  be  constrained  to 
transfer  his  relation  to  a  different  body,  and  thus  be 
liable  to  find  himself  embarrassed  by  his  former 
steps  ?  Upon  this  principle,  we  must  go  further, 
and  adopt  the  doctrine,  equally  absurd  and  heathen- 
ish, that  no  parent  ought  ever  to  instruct  his  child  in 
what  he  deems  the  most  precious  truths  of  the  gos- 
pel, lest  he  should  fill  his  mind  with  prejudices,  and 
present  an  obstacle  to  free  and  unshackled  inquiry 
afterwards.  For  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  early- 
parental  instruction  does  present  more  or  less  obsta- 
cle, in  the  way  of  a  subsequent  change  of  opinion, 
on  those  subjects  which  that  instruction  embraced. 
Yet  our  Father  in  heaven  has  expressly  commanded 
us  to  instruct  our  children,  and  to  endeavour  to  pre- 
occupy their  minds  with  every  thing  that  is  excellent, 
both  in  principle  and  practice.  In  short,  if  the  ob- 
jection before  us  be  valid,  then  no  one  ought  ever 
to  go  forward  in  the  discharge  of  any  duty  ;  for  he 
may  one  day  cease  to  think  it  a  duty ;  in  other  words, 
he  ought  habitually,  and  upon  principle,  to  disobey 
some  of  the  plamest  commands  of  God,  lest  he 
should  afterwards  entertain  different  views  of  those 
commands,  from  those  whiih  he  at  present  enter- 
tains. Nay,  if  this  be  so,  then  every  book  a  man 
reads,  and  every  careful,  deep  inquiry  he  makes  con- 
cerning the  subject  of  it,  must  be  considered  as  tend- 
ing to  influence  the  mind,  and  to  interfere  with  per- 
fect impartiality  in  any  subsequent  inquiry  on  the 


57 

same   subject;    and   therefore,   ought  to    be  for- 
borne ! 

No  man  in  his  senses  acts  thus.     Especially,  no 
christian  allows  himself  thus  to  judge,  or  reason. 
In  the  path  of  what  appears  to  be  present  duty,  he 
feels  bound  to  go  forward,  leaving  future  things  with 
God.     Now,  if  subscription  to  a  correct  Creed  be 
really  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God  ;  if  it  be  necessary, 
both  to  the  purity  and  haruiony  of  the  church ;  and, 
therefore,  in  itself  a  duty  ;  then  no  man  ought  any 
more  to  hesitate  about  discharging  this  duty,  than 
about  discharging  any  of  those  duties  which  have 
been  mentioned,  or  any  others  which  may  be  sup- 
i  posed.)  There  is  no  station  in  life  in  which  its  oc- 
cupant  does   not    find    some    peculiar  temptation. 
But  if  he  be  a  man  of  a  right  spirit,  he  will  meet 
it  with  christian  integrity,   and  overcome  it  with 
christian  courage.     If  he  be  a  truly  honest  man,  he 
will  be  faithful  to  his  God,  and  faithful  to  his  own 
conscience,  at  all  hazards  ;  and  if  he  be  not  honest, 
he  will  not  be  very  likely  to  benefit  the  church  by  his 
discoveries  and  speculations.    Accordingly,  the  voice 
of  history  confirms    this  reasoning.     On   the   one 
hand,  how  many  thousand  instances  have  the  last 
two  centuries  afforded,  of  men  who  were  willing  to 
incur,  not  only  obloquy  and  reproach,  but  also  beg- 
gary, imprisonment,  and  even  death  itself,  in  then- 
most  frightful  forms,  rather  than  abandon  the  truth, 
and  subscribe  to  formularies  which  they  could  not 
conscientiously  adopt!     On  the  other  hand,  how 
many  instances  have  occurred,  within  the  last  fifty 
years,  of  unprincipled  men,  after  solemnly  subscrib- 


58 

ing  orthodox  Creeds,  disregarding  their  vows,  and 
opposing  tlie  spirit  of  those  Creeds,  and  still  retain- 
ing tiieir  ecclesiastical  stations,  without  reserve  !  It 
is  plain,  then,  that  this  whole  objection,  though  spe- 
cious, has  not  the  least  solidity.  Truly  upriglit  and 
pious  men  will  always  follow  their  convictions; 
while,  with  regard  to  those  of  an  opposite  character, 
their  light,  whether  they  remain  or  depart,  will  be 
found  to  be  of  no  value,  either  to  themselves,  or  the 
church  of  God. 

4.  A  fourth  objection  frequently  brought  against 
Creeds  is,  that  they  have  altogether  failed  of 

ANSWERING  THE  PURPOSE  PROFESSED  TO  BE  IN- 
TENDED BY  THEM.j  "  Churches,"  it  is  said,  "which 
have  Creeds  the  most  carefully  drawn,  and  of  the 
most  rigid  character,  are  as  far  from  being  united  in 
doctrinal  opinions,  as  some  which  either  have  never 
had  any  Creeds  at  all,  or  have  long  since  professedly 
omitted  to  enforce  subscription  to  them.  To  men- 
tion only  two  examples ;  the  church  of  England,  for 
nearly  three  centuries,  has  had  a  set  of  Articles  de- 
cisively Calvinistic,  to  which  all  her  candidates  for 
the  ministry  are  required  to  subscribe ;  but  we  know 
that  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  passed 
away,  since  Pelagian  and  Semi-Pelagian  tenets  be- 
gan to  pollute  that  important  branch  of  the  reformed 
church ;  and  that  within  the  last  seventy-five  or 
eighty  years,  almost  every  form  of  heresy  has  lurked 
under  subscription  to  her  orthodox  Articles.  And 
even  the  church  of  Scotland,  which  has  had,  for 
nearly  two  centuries,  the  most  rigidly  and  minutely 
o)  liiodox  Confession  on  earth,  is  generally  supposed, 


69 

at  this  hour,  to  have  a  ministry  far  from  being  unan. 
mous  in  loving  and  honouring  her  public  standards 
Now,  if  Creeds  have  not,  in  fact,  been  productive  oi 
the  great  benefit  intended  by  them,  even  in  some  t  : 
the  most  favourable  cases  that  can  be  produced,  why 
be  perplexed  and  burdened  with  them  at  all  ?" 

This  objection  evidently  proceeds  on  the  princi 
pie,  that  a  remedy  which  does  not  accomplish  every 
things  is  worth  nothing.     Because  Creeds  have  not 
completely  banished  dissension  and  discord  from  the 
churches  which  have  adopted  them,  therefore  they 
have  been  of  no  use.     But  is  this  sound  reasoning  ? 
Does  it  accord  even  with  common  sense,  or  with  the 
dictates  of  experience  in  any  walk  of  life  ?     Because 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  has  not  com- 
pletely defended  our  country  from  all  political  ani- 
mosity and  strife ;  is  it,  therefore,  worthless  ?    Or 
should  we  have  been  more  united  and  harmonious 
without  any  constitutional   provisions  at  all  ?     Be- 
cause the  system  of  public  law  does  not  annihilate 
all  crime,  should  we,  of  course,  be  as  well  without 
it  ?     No  one  will  say  this.     Nay,  may  not  the  ob- 
jection be  retorted  on  those  who  urge  it  ?  They  con- 
tend that  Creeds  are  unnecessary ;  that  the  Bible  is 
amj)ly  sufficient  for  all  purposes,  as  a  test  of  truth. 
But  has  the  Bible  banished  dissension  and  discord 
from  the  church?     No  one  will  pretend  that  it  has. 
Yet  why  not?     Surely  not  on  account  of  any  error 
or  defect  in  itself;  but  on  account  of  the  folly  and 
perverseness  of  depraved  man,  who,  amidst  all  the 
provisions  of  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness,  is  con- 
tinually warring  against  the  peace  of  the  world. 


60 

But  I  go  further,  and  maintain  that  the  history 
of  the  practical  influence  of  Creeds,  is  strongly  in 
their  favour.  Though  they  have  not  done  every  thing 
that  could  have  been  desired,  they  have  done  much ; 
and  much  in  those  very  churches  which  have  been 
most  frequently  selected  as  examples  of  their  entire 
want  of  efficacy.  The  Calvinistic  articles  of  the 
church  of  England  were  the  means  of  keeping  her 
doctrinally  pure,  to  a  very  remarkable  degree,  for 
the  greater  part  of  a  hundred  years../  In  the  reign  of 
James  I,  very  few  opponents  of  Calvinism  dared 
publicly  to  avow  their  opinions ;  and  of  those  who 
did  avow  them,  numbers  were  severely  disciplined, 
and  others  saved  themselves  from  similar  treatment, 
by  subsequent  silence  and  discretion.  The  inroads 
of  error,  therefore,  were  very  powerfully  checked, 
and  its  triumph  greatly  retarded  by  those  public 
standards.  In  fact,  the  great  body  of  the  bishops 
and  clergy  professed  to  be  doctrinal  Calvinists,  until 
a  number  of  years  after  the  Synod  of  Dort,  when, 
chiefly  by  the  influence  of  Arch-Bishop  Laud,  and 
his  creatures,  Arminianism  was  gradually  and  guard- 
edly brought  in,  in  consequence  of  which  the  faithful 
application  of  the  thirty-nine  articles,  as  a  test  of  or- 
thodoxy, and  of  admission  to  the  ministry,  was  dis- 
continued. The  articles  continued  to  speak  as  before, 
and  to  be  solemnly  subscribed  ;  but  the  spirit  of  the 
administration  under  them  was  no  longer  the  same. 
It  became  predominantly  Arminian.  We  may  truly 
say,  then,  that  the  Creed  of  the  church  of  England 
continued  to  operate  eflectually  as  a  bond  of  union, 
and  a  barrier  against  the  encroachments  of  heresy,  as 


61  „^:.m^ 

long  as  it  is  continued  to  be  faithfully  applied,  agree- 
ably to  its  known  original  purport.  When  it  ceased 
to  be  thus  applied,  it  ceased  to  produce  its  wonted 
effect.  But  can  this  be  reasonabl}'^  wondered  at? 
As  well  might  we  wonder  that  a  medicine,  when  its 
use  was  laid  aside,  should  no  longer  heal. 

The  very  same  representation,  in  substance,  may 
be  made  concerning  the  church  of  Scotland.  Her 
preeminently  excellent  Creed  was  the  means,  under 
God,  of  keeping  her  united  and  pure,  as  long  as  that 
Creed  continued  to  be  honestly  employed  as  a  test, 
according  to  its  true  intent  and  spirit.  When  this 
ceased  to  be  the  case,  it  would  have  been  strange, 
indeed,  if  the  state  of  things  had  remained  as  before. 
It  did  not  so  remain.  With  lax  and  dishonest  sub- 
scription, heresy  came  in : — at  first,  with  reserve  and 
caution,  but  afterwards  more  openly.  1  But  even  to 
the  present  day,  as  all  know  fvlio  are  acquainted 
with  the  state  of  that  church,  the  movements  of 
heresy  within  her  bosom,  are  held  in  most  salutary 
check;  and  her  condition  is  incomparably  more  fa- 
vourable than  it  could  have  been,  had  her  public 
standards  been  long  ago  abolished.  -^ 

Nor  have  the  Creeds  of  those  national  churches 
of  Great  Britain  yet  accomplished  all  the  benefits  to 
the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  which  they  are 
destined  to  confer.  Though  their  genuine  spirit  has 
been  long  since  forgotten  by  many ;  this  is  by  no 
means2ie  case  with  all.  There  has  constantly  been, 
in  botli  those  churches,  a  body  of  faithful  wifnesscs 
to  the  truth.  This  body,  thanks  to  the  Almighty 
and  all-gracious  King  of  Zion !  is  increasing.    Their 


62 

J^'-  good  Confessions"  form  a  rallying  point,  around 
which  numbers  are  now  gathering ; — and  those  far- 
farmed  formularies,  the  favourable  influence  of 
which  has  been  supposed  by  many  to  be  long  since 
exhausted,  and  more  than  exhausted,  will  again  be- 
come, there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  an  "  ensign 
to  the  people,"  to  which  there  shall  be  a  flocking  of 
those  who  love  the  "  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ," 

j\  more  extensive  and  more  glorious  than  ever  before. 

^"^■^Nor  arc  we  without  significant  attestations  to  the 
%  efficacy  of  Creeds,  and  to  the  mischief  of  being  with- 
out them,  in  our  own  country.  Of  the  former^  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  the  United  States,  is  one  of 
the  most  signal  examples.  Conflicts  she  has,  indeed, 
had ;  but  they  have  been  such  as  were  incident  to 
every  community,  ecclesiastical  or  civil,  administered 
by  the  counsels  of  imperfect  men.  Amidst  them  all, 
she  has,  by  the  favour  of  her  Divine  Head,  held  on 
her  way,  substantially  true  to  her  system  of  doctrine 
and  order;  and  though  constituted,  originally,  by 
members  from  different  countries,  and  of  different 
habits,  she  has  remained  united  to  a  degree,  con- 
sidering all  things,  truly  wonderful.  Of  the  lattery 
the  Congregational  churches  of  Massachusetts,  fur- 
nish a  melancholy  memorial.  Though  originally 
formed  by  a  people,  far  more  homogeneous  in  their 
character  and  habits,  and  far  more  united  in  their 
opinions  ;  yet,  being  destitute  of  any  efficient  bond  of 
imion,  and  equally  destitute  of  the  means  of  main- 
taining it,  if  it  had  been  possessed,  they  have  fallen 

I      a  prey  to  dissension  and  error,  to  a  degree,  equally 

\  instructive  and  mournful. 


6^ 

5.  The  last  objection  which  I  shall  consider  is, 
that  subscription  to  Creeds,  has  not  only  failed  en- 
tirely of  producing  the  benefits  contemplated  by  their 
friends  ;  but  has  rather  been  found  to  produce  the 

OPPOSITE      EVILS  ; TO      GENERATE      DISCORD      AND 

STRIFE.  '  "  Creeds,"  say  some,  "  instead  of  tending 
to  compose  differences,  and  to  bind  the  members  of 
churches  more  closely  together,  have  rather  proved 
a  bone  of  contention,  and  a  means  of  exciting  mutual 
charges  of  heresy,  and  a  thousand  ill  feelings,  among 
those  who  might  have  been  otherwise  perfectly  har- 
monious." 

/-  In  reply  to  this  objection,  my  first  remark  is, 
/  that  the  alleged  fact,  which  it  takes  for  granted,  is 
^^ utterly  denied.^  It  is  not  true  that  Creeds  have 
generated  contention  and  strife  in  the  bosom  of  those 
churches  which  have  adopted  them.  On  tlie  con- 
trary, it  would  be  easy  to  show,  by  an  extended  in- 
duction of  facts,  that  in  those  churches  in  which 
Creeds  and  Confessions  have  been  most  esteemed 
and  most  regarded,  there  union  and  peace  have 
most  remarkably  reigned.  In  truth,  it  has  ever  been 
the  ivant  of  faithful  regard  to  such  formularies,  that 
has  led  to  division  and  strife  in  the  church  of  Christ. 
I  doubt  whether  any  denomination  of  christians  ever 
existed,  for  half  a  century  together,  destitute  of  a 
public  Creed,  however  united  and  harmonious  it 
might  have  been,  at  the  commencement  of  this  pe- 
riod ;  without  exhibiting,  before  the  end  of  it,  either 
that  stillness  of  death,  which  is  the  result  of  cold 
indifference  to  the  truth  :  or  that  miserable  scene  of 


64 

discord,  in  which  "parting  asunder"  was  the  only 
means  of  escaping  from  open  violence. 

My  next  remark  is,  that,  even  if  it  were  shown, 
that  orthodox  public  Creeds  are  often  indirectly  con- 
nected with  conflict  and  contention  in  the  church ; 
it  would  form  no  solid  argument  against  them.  Ar- 
dent attachment  to  what  they  deemed  truth,  is  the 
principle,  in  all  ages,  which  has  led  christian  com- 
munities to  adopt  Creeds  and  Confessions  of  Faith. 
The  same  attachment  to  truth  will  naturally  lead 
them  to  watch  with  care  against  every  thing  that  is 
hostile  to  it;  and  to  "contend  earnestly"  in  its  de- 
fence, when  it  is  attacked.  In  this  case,  a  Creed, 
supposing  it  to  be  a  sound  and  scriptural  one — is  no 
more  the  cause  of  conflict  and  division,  than  a  whole- 
some medicine  is  the  cause  of  that  disease  which  it 
is  intended  to  cure./  The  word  of  God  commands 
us  to  "contend,"  and  to  "contend  earnestly,  for  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,"  and  to  hold  him 
"accursed,"  who  preaches  "another  gospel"  than 
that  which  the  scriptures  reveal.  But  when  such 
"  contention"  becomes  necessary,  who  is  to  blame 
for  it?  Surely  not  truth,  or  its  advocates;  but  those 
who  patronize  error,  and  thus  endeavour  to  corrupt 
the  body  of  Christ ;  and,  of  course,  render  contention 
for  the  truth  a  duty.  It  is  granted,  indeed,  that,  in 
this  conflict,  much  unhallowed  temper  may  be  mani- 
fested. Not  only  on  the  part  of  the  advocates  of 
{ rror-;  ,but  also,  in  some  degree,  on  the  part  of  the 
friends  of  truth.  They  may  contend,  even  for  the 
truth,  with  bigotry  and  bitterness.     Still,  this  does 


65 

not  render  the  truth  itself  less  precious  ;  or  the  duty 
of  contending  for  it  less  imperative ;  or  those  sum- 
maries of  it  which  christians  have  been  led  to  form, 
less  valuable,  as  testimonies  for  God. 
j^'  Before  Christianity  was  preached  in  the  Roman 
empire,  the  different  classes  of  Pagans  lived  together 
in  peace.  The  foundation  of  this  peace  was,  the 
opinion,  that  error  was  innocent ;  and  that  all  classes 
of  religionists  were  equally  safe.  But  when  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  Christ  was  preached ;  when  his 
ministers  proclaimed  that  there  was  no  other  system 
either  true  or  safe  ;  that  there  was  no  other  founda- 
tion of  hope ;  that  all  false  religions  were  not  only 
highly  criminal,  but  also  eternally  destructive ;  and 
that  the  followers  of  Christ  could  not  possibly  counte- 
nance any  of  them ; — then  a  scene  of  the  most  shock- 
ing persecution  and  violence,  on  the  part  of  the  Pa- 
gans, commenced.  But  on  what,  or  on  whom,  are  we 
to  throw  the  blame,  for  these  scenes  of  violence  ?  No 
one,  surely,  will  say,  on  Christianity.  We  are  rather 
to  impute  it  to  the  corruption  of  human  nature,  and 
\to  the  blindness  and  violence  of  Pagan  malice.  If 
tiie  primitive  christians  had  been  willing  to  give  up 
the  precious  truth  committed  to  them,  and  to  act 
upon  the  principle,  that  all  modes  of  faith  were 
equally  safe ;  they  might  have  escaped  much,  if  not 
the  whole,  of  the  dreadful  persecution  which  they 
were  called  to  endure. 

The  only  additional  remark,  therefore,  -which  1 
have  to  make  on  the  objection  before  us,  is,  that  it 
can  have  no  force,  excepting  upon  the  principle,  that 


66 

error  ought  to  be  left  unassailed,  and  that  contention 
for  the  truth  is  not  a  duty  : — for  all  defence  of  the 
truth,  against  its  active  opposers — all  "  contending 
for  the  truth,"  must,  of  course,  disturb  that  cold  and 
death-like  tranquility  which  indifference  to  the  pu- 
rity of  faith  tends  to  introduce.  We  are  command- 
ed, "if  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  lieth  in  us,  to  live 
peaceably  with  all  men."  But  it  is  not  "  possible'* 
to  be  at  peace  with  some  men.  We  inust  not  be  at 
peace  with  error  or  wickedness.  The  Divine  au- 
thority makes  it  our  duty  to  oppose  them  to  the  ut- 
most, at  our  peril.  And  if  in  the  discharge  of  this 
duty,  the  peace  of  the  church  is,  for  a  time,  disturb- 
ed, the  sin  lies  at  the  door  of  those  who  rendered  the 
conflict  necessary.  Those  summaries  of  truth,  which 
particular  occasions  make  it  important  to  embody 
and  to  publish,  are  no  more  to  blame  for  the  struggle, 
than  the  wise  and  wholesonie  law  of  the  land  is  to 
blame  for  that  agitation  which  necessarily  attends 
the  seizure,  the  trial,  and  the  execution  of  a  male- 
factor. 

But  for  further  details  on  this  subject,  both  for 
and  against  the  doctrine  which  I  maintain,  I  must 
refer  you  to  those  works  which  have  been  devoted  to 
its  more  extended  discussion  :  more  particularly  to 
what  is  said  by  the  judicious  and  excellent  Mr.  Dun- 
lop,  in  the  able  Preface  to  his  ^'' Collection  of  Con- 
fessions ;"  to  "  The  Confessional,'^''  by  Mr.  Blackburn, 
one  of  the  most  zealous  and  formidable  opposers  of 
Creeds ;  which  will  prepare  you  for  perusing  some 
of  the  best  of  the  many  valuable  Answers  to  that  far- 


67 

famed  work :  to  "  Walker's  Vindication  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland,''^  he:  and,  finally,  to  Mr.  Dyer^s  ^^  Inquiry 
into  the  nature  of  subscription  to  Articles  of  religion.''^ 

The  subject,  beloved  Pupils,  on  which  I  have  been 
addressing  you,  is  eminently  a  practical  one.  It  en- 
ters deeply  into  many  questions  of  personal  and 
official  duty.  I  shall,  therefore,  detain  you  a  few 
moments  longer,  by  calling  your  attention  to  some  of 
those  PRACTICAL  INFERENCES  fi'om  the  foregoing 
principles  and  reasonings,  which  appear  to  me  to  de- 
serve vour  serious  regard — and 

1.  From  the  representation  which  has  been  given, 
we  may  see  how  little  reason  any  have  to  be 

AFRAID  OF  CREEDS,  AS  INSTRUMENTS  OF  OPPRES- 
SION. 

There  is  something  so  perfectly  visionary  and 
unreasonable  in  the  very  thought  of  "tyranny,"  or 
"oppression,"  as  connected  with  subscription  to 
Creeds,  in  this  country,  that  the  only  wonder  is,  how 
it  can  be  admitted,  for  a  moment,  into  any  sober 
mind.  Who  does  or  can  impose  a  Creed  upon  any 
one,  or  ever  attempts  to  do  it  ?  Is  any  man  in  the 
United  States,  obliged  to  profess  any  belief;  to 
subscribe  any  Creed ;  or  to  join  any  church  what- 
ever ?  Every  man,  indeed,  is  bound  by  the  law  of 
God,  to  believe  correctly,  and  to  connect  himself 
with  a  pure  church.  He  is  not,  and  cannot  be  at 
liberty,  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah,  to  neglect  cither. 
But  is  any  man  bound  by  human  law,  ecclesiasti- 
cal or  civil,  to  do  any  of  these  thmgs  ?  Is  any  man 
jn  the    United   States,   after   he   has  subscribed  a 


68 

Creed,  and  joined  a  church,  obliged,  by  any  human 
authority,  to  adhere  to  either  a  single  day  longer 
than  he  pleases  ?  Is  he  not  at  perfect  liberty  to 
withdraw,  at  any  moment,  and  that  with  or  without 
giving  a  reason  for  his  conduct,  as  he  thinks  proper? 
Everlasting  thanks  to  Him  who  gives  us  this  free- 
dom !  May  it  be  perpetual  and  universal !  Now, 
one  would  think,  this  is  liberty  enough  to  satisfy  any 
reasonable  man.  But  it  seems  there  are  really  those 
who  wish  for  more,  They  demand,  in  effect,  that 
the  church  should  be  willing  to  take  all  manner  of 
heresy,  as  well  as  orthodoxy,  to  her  bosom,  and  to 
act  as  if  she  regarded  both  with  an  equal  eye. 
Nay,  they  ask  that  heretics  be  freely  allowed  to  im- 
pose THEMSELVES  upou  HER,  whether  she  be  wil- 
ling or  not — not  to  unite  and  edify  her  members, 
but  to  divide  and  distract  them ; — that  they  be  at 
liberty  to  come  into  the  Redeemer's  family,  and 
there,  without  any  regard  to  its  scriptural  rules,  or 
its  happy  harmony,  to  propagate  such  discordant 
sentiments,  and  to  establish  such  new  principles  of 
order,  or  disorder,  as  the  intruders  may  choose  to 
adopt.  But  is  this  christian  liberty  ?  Is  this  a  kind 
of  liberty  which  any  benevolent,  or  even  honest  man 
would  wish  to  possess  ?  It  is  liberty,  truly,  of  the 
most  extraordinary  kind,  to  the  individual  who  in- 
trudes ;  but  what  becomes  of  the  liberty  of  the  ec- 
clesiastical body  which  he  thus  enters,  contrary  to  its 
wishes  and  comfort,  and  to  its  real  injury  ?  It  is,  evi- 
dently, the  same  sort  of  privilege  in  the  church,  as 
the  privilege  of  invading  the  retreat  of  private  fami- 
lies, or  disturbing  the  peace  of  civil  society,  at  pleas- 


6* 

ure,  and  with  impunity,  would  be  regarded  by  tho 
inhabitants  of  any  free  country. 

2    We  may  see,  from  what  has  been  said,  that 
subscribing  a  church  Creed,  is  not  a  mere  formality  ; 

but  a  VERY    SOLEMN     TIIANSACTION,     WHICH    MEANS 
MUCH,     AND     INFERS    THE     M05X     SERIOUS     OBLIGA- 
TIONS.    It  is  certainly  a  transaction  which  ought  to 
be  entered  upon  with  much  deep  deliberation  and 
humble  prayer ;  and  in  which,  if  a  man  be  bound  to 
be  sincere  in  any  thing,  he  is  bound  to  be  honest  to 
his  God,  honest  to  himself,  and  honest  to  the  church 
which  he  joins.     For  myself,  I  know  of  no  transac- 
tion, in  which  insincerity  is  more  justly  chargeable 
with  the  dreadful  sin  of  "  lying  to  the  Holy  Ghost 
than  in  this.     It  is  truly  humiliating  and  distressing 
to  know,  that  in  some  churches  it  has  gradually  be- 
come customary,  to  consider  Articles   of  Faith   as 
merely  Articles  of  peace;  in  other  words,  as  articles 
which  he  who  subscribes,  is  not  considered  as  pro- 
fessing to  BELIEVE  ;  but  as  merely  engaging  not  to 
OPPOSE-at  least  in  any  public  or  offensive  manner. 
Whether  we  bring  this  principle  to  the  test  of  rea- 
son, of  scripture,  of  the  original  design  of  Creeds,  or 
of  the  ordinary  import  of  language  among  honoura- 
ble men;-it  seems  equally  liable  to  the  severest 
reprobation,  as  disreputable  and  criminal  in  a  very 
high  degree.     Nor  does  it  appear  to  me  to  be  any 
alleviation,  either  of  the  disgrace  or  the  sin,  that 
many  of  the  governors  of  the  churches  referred  to, 
as  well  as  of  those  who  subscribe,  public^  avow 
their  adoption  of  this  principle;  admit  the  correct- 
ness of  it;  keep  each  other  in  countenance;  and 


70 

thus  escape,  as  lliey  imagine,  the  charge  of  hypocri- 
sy. What  would  be  thought  of  a  similar  principle, 
if  generally  adopted  and  avowed,  with  respect  tg  the 
administration  of  oaths  in  civil  courts  ?  Suppose  both 
jurors  and  witnesses,  feeling  it  ai  grievance  to  be 
bound  by  their  oaths  to  speak  the  truth,  were  to  agree 
among  themselves,  and  openly  to  give  out,  that  they 
did  not  mean,  when  they  swore,  to  take  on  them- 
selves any  such  obligation  ;  that  they  did  not  so  un- 
derstand the  import  of  their  oaths,  and  did  not  intend 
to  recognize  any  such  meaning  ?  And  suppose  the 
judges  were  freely  to  admit  them  to  their  oaths  with 
a  similar  understanding  ?  Would  a  witness  or  a  ju- 
ror, in  such  a  case,  be  exempt  from  the  charge  of 
PERJURY,  or  the  judge  from  the  guilt  of  suborna- 
tion OF  PERJURY  ?  I  presume  not,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  any  sober-minded  man.  If  it  were  otherwise, 
then  bad  men,  who  form  a  majority  of  every  com- 
munity, might,  by  combining,  violate  all  the  princi- 
ples of  virtue  and  order,  not  only  with  impunity,  but 
also  without  sin. 

Set  it  down,  then,  as  a  first  principle  of  common 
honesty,  as  well  as  of  christian  truth,  that  subscrip- 
tion to  Articles  of  Faith,  is  a  weighty  transaction, 
which  really  means  what  it  professes  to  mean  ;  that 
no  man  is  ever  at  liberty  to  subscribe  articles  which 
he  does  not  truly  and  fully  believe ;  and  that,  in 
subscribing,  he  brings  himself  under  a  solemn,  cove- 
nant engagement  to  the  church  which  he  enters,  to 
walk  with  it  "in  the  unity  of  faith,"  and  "in  the 
bond  of  peace  and  love.''  If  he  cannot  do  this 
honestly,  let  him    not  profess  to  do  it  at  all.     I  see 


71 

not  but  that  here,  insincerity,  concealment,  double 
dealing,  and  mental  reservations,  are,  to  say  the 
least,  quite  as  mean  and  base  as  they  can  be  in  the 
transactions  of  social  and  civil  life. 

You  will,  perhaps,  ask  me,  what  shall  be  done 
by  a  man  who  loves  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  who 
considers  it  as  appproaching  nearer  to  the  scriptural 
model  than  any  other  with  which  he  is  acquainted  ; 
who  regards  its  Confession  of  Faith  as  by  far  the 
best,  in  its  great  outlines,  and  in  all  its  fundamental 
articles,  that  he  knows  ;  and  who  yet,  in  some  of  its 
minor  details,  cannot  entirely  concur  ?  Can  such  an 
one  honestly  subscribe,  without  any  previous  expla- 
nation of  his  views?  I  answer — by  no  means. 
Ought  he,  then,  you  will  ask,  to  abandon  all  thoughts 
of  uniting  himself  with  our  church,  when  he  is  in 
cordial  harmony  with  it  in  all  fundamental  princi- 
ples, and  nearer  to  it,  in  all  respects,  than  to  any 
other  church  on  earth?  I  again  answer — by  no 
means.  I  know  of  no  other  mode  of  proceeding  in 
such  a  case  as  this,  which  christian  candour,  and  a 
pure  conscience  will  justify,  than  the  following  :  Let 
the  candidate  for  admission  unfold  to  the  Presbytery 
before  which  he  presents  himself,  all  his  doubts  and 
scruples,  with  perfect  frankness; — opening  his  whole 
heart,  as  if  on  oath ;  and  neither  softening  nor  con- 
cealing any  thing.  Let  him  cause  them  distinctly 
to  understand,  that  if  he  subscribe  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  he  must  be  understood  to  do  it  in  consistency 
with  the  exceptions  and  explanations  which  he  spe- 
cifies. If  the  Presbytery,  after  this  fair  understand- 
ing, should  be  of  the  opinion,  that  the  excepted 


72 

points  were  of  little  or  no  importance,  and  interfered 
with  no  article  of  faith,  and  should  be  willing  to  re- 
ceive his  subscription  in  the  usual  wa},  he  may 
proceed.  Such  a  method  of  proceeding  will  best 
accord  with  every  principle  of  truth  and  honour ; 
and  will  remove  all  ground  of  either  self-reproach,  or 
of  reproach  on  the  part  of  others,  afterwards. 

3.  From  the  view  which  has  been  presented  of 
this  subject,  we  may  decide  how  an  honest  man 

OUGHT    TO   ACT,    AFTER    SUBSCRIBING     TO    A    PUBLIC 

CREED.  He  will  feel  it  to  be  his  duty  to  adhere  sin- 
cercely  and  faithfully  to  that  Creed,  in  public  and  in 
private  ;  and  to  make  it  his  study  to  promote,  by  all 
the  means  in  his  power,  the  peace  and  purity  of  the 
body  with  which  he  has  connected  himself.  And  if 
he  should,  at  any  time,  alter  his  views  concerning 
any  part  of  the  Creed  or  order  of  the  church  in  ques- 
tion, it  will  be  incumbent  on  him  to  inquire,  whether 
the  points,  concerning  which  he  has  altered  his  mind, 
are  of  such  a  nature  as  that  he  can  conscientiously 
BE  SILENT  concerning  them,  and  "give  no  offence" 
to  the  body  to  which  he  belongs.  If  he  can  recon- 
cile this  with  an  enlightened  sense  of  duty,  he  may 
REMAIN,  IN  PEACE.  But,  if  the  poiuts  concerning 
which  his  views  have  undergone  a  change,  are  of  so 
much  importance  in  his  estimation,  as  that  he  cannot 
be  silent^  but  must  feel  himself  bound  to  publish,  and 
endeavour  to  propagate  them;  then  let  him  peacea- 
bly WITHDRAW,  and  join  some  other  branch  of  the 
visible  church,  with  which  he  can  walk  harmonious- 
ly. Such  he  may  find  almost  every  where,  unless 
his  views  be  singularly  eccentric.     But,  at  any  rate. 


he  has  no  more  right  to  insist  on  remaining,  and  be- 
ing permitted  publicly  to  oppose,  what  he  has 
solemnly  vowed  to  receive  and  support;  than  a  mem- 
ber of  any  voluntary  association,  which  he  entered 
under  certain  engagements,  but  with  which  he  no 
longer  agrees,  has  a  right  obstinately  to  retain  his 
connection  with  it,  and  to  avail  himself  of  the  influ- 
ence which  this  connection  gives  him,  to  endeavour 
to  tear  it  in  pieces. 

It  is  no  solid  objection  to  this  view  of  the  subject, 
to  allege,  that  every  man  is  under  obligations  to 
obey  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  altogether  pa- 
ramount to  those  which  bind  him,  in  virtue  of  any 
ecclesiastical  engagements,  to  obey  the  church  her- 
self.    This  is  most  readily  granted.     No  man  can 
lawfully  bind  himself  to  disobey  Christ,  in  any  case 
whatever.     But  this  principle,  it  is  conceived,  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  point  under  consideration. 
Though  a  man  cannot  properly  bind  himself  always 
to  believe  as  he  now  believes  ;  nor  always  to  remain 
in  connection  with  the  ecclesiastical  body  which  he 
now  joins ;  yet  he  may  safely  promise  that  he  will 
be  a  regular  and  orderly  member  of  the  body,  as  long 
as  he  does  remain  in  connection  with  it.     When  he 
ceases  to  be  able  to  do  this,  without  sinning  against 
God,  he  will,  if  he  be  an  honest  man,  immediately 
withdraw.     If  he  remain,  and  suffer  himself  habitu- 
ally to  violate  his  engagement,  under  the  pretence  of 
benefiting  the  body  to  which  he  has  vowed  alle- 
giance, he  will  be  chargeable  with  the  sin  of  treache- 
rously and  basely  "doing  evil  that  good  may  come." 
To  illustrate  my  meaning  by  a  familiar  example. 


74 

Every  student  of  this  Seminary  has,  at  his  entrance, 
made  a  solemn  promise,  that,  "as  long  as  he  shall 
continue  a  member  of  it,  he  will  conscientiously  and 
vigilantly  observe  all  the  rules  and  regulations  speci- 
fied in  the  plan  for  its  instruction  and  government, 
so  far  as  the  same  relate  to  the  students ;  and  fur- 
ther, that  he  will  obey  all  the  lawful  requisitions  of 
the  Professors  and  Directors,"  k.c.  As  this  engage- 
ment was  voluntarily  made,  no  honest  man  will 
doubt  that  you  are  all  bound  to  act  in  conformity 
with  it,  to  the  utmost  tittle,  as  far  as  you  have  abili- 
ty. Suppose,  however,  that  one  of  your  number 
should  become  persuaded,  that  some  of  the  "regula- 
tions specified  in  the  plan"  of  the  Seminary,  are  not 
only  unwise,  and  inconvenient,  but  also  immoral; 
what  ought  he  to  do?  Ought  he  to  remain  in  the 
institution,  and  habitually  violate  the  regulations  to 
which  he  excepted,  pleading  that  he  could  not  con- 
scientiously obey  them,  because,  though  he  had  so- 
lemnly engaged  to  do  so,  he  felt  himself  under  a 
prior  and  paramount  obligation  to  "  obey  God  rather 
than  man  ?"  This,  surely,  no  christian  would  ap- 
prove, nor  any  faithful  government  tolerate.  No  ; 
every  principle  of  honour  and  integrity  would  dictate, 
that  he  should  immediately  loiihdraw  from  the  Semi- 
nary; and  if,  after  withdrawing,  he  should  be  able 
to  convince  the  General  Assembly  of  our  church, 
that  his  exceptions  were  just,  and  should  prevail 
with  that  body  to  alter  the  offensive  rules ;  then, 
and  not  till  then,  he  might,  with  a  good  conscience, 
resume  his  place  in  the  institution. 

4.  We  are  led  to  reflect,  from  the  representation 


lb 

which  has  been  given,  how  easy  it  is  for  a  single 

IMPRUDENT  OR  UiNSOUND  MINISTER  TO  DO  EXTEN- 
SIVE   AND    IRREPARABLE    MISCHIEF  IN   THE  CHURCH. 

Such  an  one,  especially  if  he  be  a  man  of  talents 
and  influence,  by  setting  himself,  either  openly  or 
covertly,  against  the  public  standards  of  his  church  ; 
by  addressing  popular  feeling,  and  availing  himself 
of  popular  prejudice ;  may  do  more,  in  a  short  time, 
to  prepare  the  way  for  fatal  error,  than  all  his  useful- 
ness, though  multiplied  a  hundred  fold,  would  be 
able  to  countervail.  Ministers,  my  young  Friends, 
may  be  said  to  hold  in  their  hands  the  interests  of  the 
church,  to  a  degree  which  no  other  class  of  men  do ; 
and  which  ought  to  make  them  tremble  under  a 
sense  of  their  responsibility !  Such  as  is  the  charac- 
ter of  the  MINISTRY  of  any  particular  church,  will 
be,  generally  speaking,  the  character  of  the  church 
ITSELF.  On  the  one  hand,  if  the  ministers  of  reli- 
gion be  generally  enlightened,  orthodox,  holy,  dili- 
gent, and  faithful  men,  the  church  to  which  they  be- 
long, will  never  fail  to  display  the  influence  of  this 
character  in  happy  results.  On  the  other  hand,  never 
was  the  church,  in  any  country  or  age,  corrLij)ted, 
divided,  and  ruined,  but  the  mischief  was  done 
BY  ITS  MINISTERS.  Howcver  humiliating  or  pain- 
ful this  assertion  may  be,  it  is  undoubtedly  confirm- 
ed by  all  scripture,  and  all  experience.  And  as  the 
general  influence  of  the  clerical  character  is  so  vital; 
so  it  is  not  easy  to  measure  the  mischief  that  may 
be  done  by  one  unsound,  graceless,  imprudent,  tur- 
bulent minister.  If,  in  every  walk  of  society,  "  one 
sinner  destroyeth  much   good,"  how   much  more 


76 

wide-spread,  deplorable,  and  fatal  is  the  mischief, 
when  the  criminal  individual  is  a  minister  !  By  erro- 
neous opinions ;  by  corrupt  habits ;  by  a  love  of  inno- 
vation ;  by  embracing  himself,  and  extensively  im- 
parting to  others,  pernicious  delusions  ; — he  may  do 
more  in  jive  or  ten  years,  to  agitate,  divide,  corrupt, 
and  weaken  the  church,  than,  perhaps,  a  score  of  the 
most  faithful  ministers  in  the  land,  can  do,  humanly 
speaking,  for  promoting  its  purity  and  peace,  in  half 
a  century.  The  influence  of  two  or  three  individu- 
als, of  popular  talents,  in  Massachusetts ^  more  than 
fifty  years  ago,  in  gradually  undermining  orthodoxy, 
and  in  reconciling  the  public  mind  to  heretical  opin- 
ions, is  as  well  known,  as  it  is  deeply  deplored,  by 
many  who  are  acquainted  with  the  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory of  New-England.  The  authors  of  this  mis- 
chief have  long  since  gone  to  their  account;  but 
their  works  have  survived  them  ;  and  of  their  awful 
ravages,  no  one  can  estimate  the  extent,  or  see  the 
end. 

Beloved  Pupils  !  be  it  your  study,  at  all  times,  to 
cherish  a  deep  sense  of  your  solemn  responsibility  to 
God  and  his  church.  In  a  little  while,  you  will  be 
among  those  to  whom  the  most  weighty  interests 
that  can  be  committed  to  man,  will  be  entrusted.  Be 
faithful  to  your  high  trust.  Guard,  with  the  utmost 
vigilance,  the  church's  orthodoxy.  Nothing  can  be 
truly  right,  where  her  doctrinal  principles  are  essen- 
tially wrong.  But,  O,  think  not  that  mere  frigid 
orthodoxy,  however  perfect,  is  all  that  is  needed. 
Labour  to  diffuse,  in  every  direction,  the  holy  and 
benign  influence  of   truth.     If  "the  household  of 


77 

faith"  be  corrii}Dtefl  by  heresy,  or  torn  by  schism,  or 
agitated  by  unhallowed  innovation,  or  become  cold 
through  want  of  ministerial  faithfulness — see  to  it, 
that  none  of  you  be  found  among  the  workers  of 
the  mischief.  See  to  it  that  you  seek  unceasingly, 
not  "  your  own  things" — your  own  aggrandizement 
— ^your  own  fancies — or  your  own  speculations — but 
"  the  things  which  are  Je'sus  Christ's."  If  you  can- 
not benefit  the  church,  (and  no  man  has  a  right  to 
say  that  he  cannot,  if  he  have  a  heart  for  the  pur- 
pose) at  least,  do  not  lend  your  influence  to  the  un- 
hallowed work  of  corrupting  and  dividing  it.  And 
if  you  should  ever  be  brought  into  circumstances  in 
which  you  can  do  nothing  else,  see  that  you  be 
found,  like  the  "  ministers  of  the  Lord"  of  old — 
"  weeping  between  the  porch  and  the  altar,  and  say- 
ing, spare  thy  people,  O,  Lord,  and  give  not  thine 
heritage  to  reproach ;  save  them,  and  lift  them  up 
forever  !" 

5.  We  may  infer,  from  what  has  been  said,  the 
duty  and  importance  of  all  the  members,  and  espe- 
cially the  ministers,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  ex- 
erting themselves  to  spread  a  knowledge  of  heh 
PUBLIC  STANDARDS.  I  Say,  her  ^^  public  standards,^^ 
notwithstanding  all  the  sneer  and  censure  which 
have  been  cast  on  this  language.  For  every  intelli- 
gent and  candid  man  in  the  community,  knows  that 
we  employ  it  to  designate, — not  formularies  which 
we  place  above  the  Bible ;  but  simply  those  which 
ascertain  and  set  forth  how  we  interpret  the  Bible. 
These  formularies— if  they  be  really  an  epitome  of 
the  word  of  God — and  surely  we  think  them  so — 

L 


78 

every  minister  is  bound  to  circulate,  with  unwearied 
assiduity,  among  the  people  of  his  charge.  This  is 
so  far,  in  general,  from  being  faithfully  done,  that  I 
seriously  doubt  whether  there  be  a  Protestant  church 
in  Christendom,  in  which  there  is  so  striking  a  defect 
as  to  the  discharge  of  this  duty,  especially  in  some 
parts  of  the  country,  as  in  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Our  Episcopal  brethren  exercise  a  most  laudable 
diligence  in  placing  the  volume  which  contains  their 
articles,  forms  and  offices,  in  every  family  within 
their  reach,  which  belongs  to  their  communion,  or 
can  be  considered  as  tending  tow  ards  it.  Our  Me- 
thodist and  Baptist  brethren,  with  no  less  diligence, 
do  the  same,  with  respect  to  those  books  which  exhi- 
bit the  doctrines  and  order  of  their  respective  deno- 
minations. All  this  is  as  it  should  be.  It  bespeaks 
men  sincere  in  their  belief,  and  earnest  in  the  dissem- 
ination of  ^^  hat  they  deem  correct  principles  ?  Why 
is  it  that  so  many  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  with  a  Confession  of  Faith,  and  Catechisms, 
"which,  I  verily  believe,  and  which  the  most  of  them 
readily  acknowledge,  are  by  far  the  best  that  were 
ever  framed  by  uninspired  wisdom  •  and  with  a  form 
of  Government  and  Discipline  more  consentaneous 
with  apostolical  practice  than  that  of  any  other 
church  on  earth  ;  are  yet  so  negligent,  not  to  say  so 
indifferent,  as  to  the  circulation  of  these  formula- 
ries ?  They,  perhaps,  do  not  take  the  trouble  even 
to  inquire  whether  there  be  a  copy  of  the  volume 
which  contains  them,  in  every  family,  or  even  in 
every  neighbourhood,  of  their  respective  charges. 
How  are  we  to  accoiuit  for  the  peculiar  frequency 


79 

of  this  negligence  in  the  ministry  of  ;our  church  ?  It 
would  be  far  from  being  true,  I  trust,  to  say,  that 
our  clergy  are  more  unfaithful  in  the  general  dis- 
charge of  their  duties,  than  those  of  any  other  com- 
munion. May  we  not  rather  ascribe  the  fact  in 
question  to  another  fact,  from  which  it  might  be  ex- 
pected naturally  to  arise  ?  The  fact  to  which  I  al- 
lude is,  that,  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  at  the  pre-' 
sent  day,  and  in  this  country — whatever  may  have 
been  the  case  in  former  times — there  is  less  of  sec- 
tarian feeling;  less  of  what  is  called,  the  espjit  du 
corps,  than  in  any  other  ecclesiastical  body  among 
us.  We  are,  in  truth,  if  I  do  not  mistake,  so  exces- 
sively free  from  it,  as  to  be  hardly  ready  to  defend 
ourselves  when  attacked.  We  are  so  ready  to  fra- 
ternize with  all  evangelical  denominations,  that  we- 
almost  forget  that  we  have  a  denomination  of  our 
own,  to  which  we  are  peculiarly  attached.  Now, 
this  general  spirit  is  undoubtedly  excellent ;  worthy 
of  constant  culture,  and  the  highest  praise.  But 
may  it  not  be  carried  to  an  extreme  ?  Universal, 
active  benevolence,  is  a  christian  duty ;  but  when  the 
liead  of  a  family,  in  the  ardour  of  its  exercise,  feels 
no  more  concern  or  responsibility  respecting  his  own 
household,  than  he  does  about  the  households  of 
others  ;  he  acts  an  unreasonable  part,  and,  what  is 
worse,  disobeys  the  com.mand  of  God.  Something 
analagous  to  this,  I  apprehend,  is  the  mistake  of  that 
christian,  or  that  minister,  who,  in  the  fervour  of  his 
Catholicism,  loses  sight  of  the  fact,  that  God,  in  his 
providence,  has  connected  him  with  a  particular 
branch  of  the  visible  church,  the  welfare  and  cdiii- 


80 

cation  of  which  he  is  peculiarly  bound  to  seek.  If 
his  own  branch  of  the  church  have  any  thing  of  pe- 
culiar excellence  in  his  estimation,  on  account  of 
which  he  prefers  it, — which  is  always  to  be  suppos- 
ed— can  it  be  wrong  for  him  to  desire  that  others 
should  view  it  in  the  same  light  ?  And  if  he  be  justi- 
fiable in  recommending  these  peculiarities  from  the 
pulpit — as  all  allow — is  he  not  equally  justifiable  in 
recommending  them  from  the  press,  especially  by 
means  of  accredited  publications  ? 

Happy  will  it  be  for  our  church,  then,  if  her  fu- 
ture ministry  shall  be  more  attentive  to  the  duty  in 
question,  than  many  of  those  who  have  gone  before 
them.  To  you,  beloved  Candidates  for  the  sacred 
office,  let  me  recommend  a  sacred  regard  to  this  du- 
ty. Resist,  always,  to  the  utmost  of  your  power, 
the  littleness  of  sectarian  bigotry,  and  strive  to  ban- 
ish it  from  the  church.  But,  at  the  same  time,  che- 
rish among  her  members  an  enlightened  attachment 
to  that  particular  branch  of  the  family  of  Christ  in 
which  their  lot  is  cast.  For  this  purpose  strive  to 
promote  among  them  a  general  and  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  our  Confession  of  JFaith,  and  form 
of  Government  and  Discipline,  as  Avell  as  our  Cate- 
chisms, which  latter,  I  fain  would  hope,  are  not  en- 
tirely neglected  in  any  part  of  the  church.  Never 
advise  the  people  to  take  the  contents  of  these  pub- 
lic formularies  on  trust ;  but  diligently  to  compare 
every  part  of  them  with  scripture,  and  see  how 
far  they  agree  with  the  unerring  standard.  Thus 
will  you  be  likely  to  become  instrumental  in  form- 
ing  solid,   intelligent  christians.      Thus  may  you 


81 

hope  to  become  the  spiritual  fathers  of  multitudes, 
"whose  faith  shall  stand,  not  in  the  wisdom  of  men, 
but  in  the  power  of  God." 

6.  Once  more;  if  the  foregoing  principles  be 
just,  then  how  unhappy  is  the  mistake  of  those  who 
imagine,   that,   by   abandoning   all   creeds  and 

CONFESSIONS,  THEY  ARE  ABOUT  TO  RENDER  THE 

CHURCH  AN  ESSENTIAL  SEiivicE  ,*  to  build  her  up 
more  extensively  and  gloriously  than  ever!  There 
are  those  who  imagine  that  a  new  order  of  things  is 
about  to  open  on  the  church,  amounting  to  as  great 
a  change  of  dispensation  as  ever  marked  the  progress 
of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  in  any  preceding  age. 
In  this  new  and  undefined  prospect,  they  seem  to 
themselves  to  see  the  approaching  prostration  of 
most  of  those  fences,  and  the  dissolution  of  most  of 
those  ties,  which  have  heretofore  been  regarded  as 
indispensable  to  the  maintenance  of  unity  and  har- 
mony in  the  family  of  Christ.  I  shall  only  say,  that 
it  will  be  time  enough  to  provide  for  this  new  order 
of  things  when  it  shall  arrive ;  and  that,  in  the  mean 
while,  in  the  present  state  of  the  world,  I  should  as 
soon  think  of  extending  and  edifying  the  church,  by 
laying  aside  all  the  means  of  grace  ;  as  of  promoting 
its  purity  and  peace,  by  abandoning  those  methods 
of  binding  its  members  together,  which  have  been 
found  necessary  ever  since  the  days  of  the  Apostles. 
The  apostle  Peter  thus  exhorted  the  christians  in 
his  day — "Be  sober,  be  vigilant,  because  your  ad- 
versary, the  Devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  goeth  about, 
seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  And  another  Apos- 
tle, reminded  those  to  whom  he  wrote,  that  this  ad- 


82 

versary  oftentimes  "transformed  himself  into  an 
angel  of  light."  So  it  was  eighteen  centuries  ago; 
and  so  it  is  at  this  hour.  The  very  blessings  of  the 
church,  as  they  have  been  in  all  ages,  so  they  are 
now,  converted  into  means  of  deception.  The  pro- 
gressive harmony  of  the  different  evangelical  denomi- 
nations ;  their  increasing  zeal  for  the  spread  of  the 
gospel ;  their  growing  disposition  to  sacrifice  many 
smaller  differences  on  the  altar  of  our  common 
Christianity  ; — have  so  fired  the  imaginations  of  some 
ardent,  sanguine  spirits,  that  they  have  allowed 
themselves  to  be  hurried  on  to  the  unwarranted 
conclusion,  that  all  former  rules  were  about  to 
be  laid  aside,  and  all  former  barriers  to  be  broken 
down.  But  remember,  my  young  Friends,  that 
a  similar  notion  has  been  entertained,  and  after- 
wards abandoned,  in  almost  every  century  since  the 
incarnation  of  Christ.  Remember,  too,  that  even 
when  the  Millennimn  shall  arrive,  human  nature 
will  still  be  depraved,  and  will  still  stand  in  need  of 
law  and  regulatio?},  not,  perhaps,  as  Qnuch,  but  as 
really  as  now.  And,  finally,  remember  that,  before 
that  blessed  day  shall  actually  dawn  upon  our  world, 
we  shall  probably  have  many  a  sore  conflict  with 
the  enemies  of  truth,  and  stand  in  need  of  all  those 
methods  of  distinguishing  and  binding  together  its 
friends,  to  which  the  word  of  God,  and  uniform  ex- 
perience have  so  long  given  their  sanction. 

While  I  exhort  you,  tlien,  to  hail  with  delight  the 
spirit  of  harmony,  of  union,  and  of  active  co-opera- 
tion, which  is  among  the  most  precious  and  anima- 
ting  "signs  of  the  times"  in  which  we   live:  and 


83 

while  I  earnestly  hope  that  no  student  of  this  Semi- 
nary will  ever  stand  afar  off,  or  turn  away  with  an 
evil  eye,  when  the  true  standard  of  Christ  is  raised 
by  any  denomination ;  let  me,  at  the  same  time, 
entreat  you,  always  to  temper  your  zeal  with  sober- 
ness. I  say  SOBERNESS ;  for  this  is  a  quality,  not 
always  found  associated  even  with  great  vigor  of 
talent,  and  great  warmth  of  piety.  Many  a  man  of 
admirable  endowments  in  other  respects ;  endow- 
ments which  qualified  him,  if  they  had  been  happily 
directed,  to  adorn  and  bless  the  church ;  has  been 
either  so  transported  by  the  visions  of  a  heated  fancy ; 
or  so  deceived  by  keeping  his  eye  fixed  on  a  single 
point  only  of  the  vast  scene  before  him  ;  or  so  im- 
pelled by  the  approaches  of  others,  as  anomalous  as 
himself;  that,  like  the  comet  of  the  infidel  philoso- 
pher, he  has  only  been  able  to  strike  off  a  few  wan- 
dering stars  from  the  parent  luminary,  while  he  him- 
self, given  up  to  an  orbit  more  and  more  eccentric, 
never  returned,  either  to  regularity  or  usefulness. 
The  church  is  still  "in  the  wilderness;"  and 
every  age  has  its  appropriate  trials.  Among  those 
of  the  present  day,  is  a  spirit  of  restless  innovation  ; 
a  disposition  to  consider  every  thing  that  is  new, 
as  of  course  an  improvement.  Happy  are  they, 
who,  taking  the  word  of  God  for  their  guide,  and 
walking  in  "the  footsteps  of  the  flock,"  continu- 
ally seek  the  purity,  the  peace,  and  the  edifica- 
tion of  the  Master's  family : — ^Who,  listening  with 
more  respect  to  the  unerring  Oracle,  and  to  the  so- 
ber lessons  of  christian  experience,  than  to  the  de- 
lusions  of  fashionable  error ;    hold  on  their  way, 


84 

"turning  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  the  left,"  and 
considering  it  as  their  highest  honour  and  happiness 
to  be  employed  as  humble,  peaceful  instruments  in 
building  up  that  "kingdom  which  is  not  meat  and 
drink,  but  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost!"  May  God  grant  to  each  of  us  this 
best  of  all  honours !  And  to  his  Name  be  the  praise, 
forever!  Amen! 


FINIS. 


■■^•K 


r. 

■A 


